Canadian Meat Council Strategies

                                                                                                                                               Français

As the national association of federally inspected meat packers and processors, the Canadian Meat Council acts as a forum in which member company representatives come together with like-minded firms to consolidate opinion on important issues. The Canadian Meat Council has been doing just this, with success, since its founding in 1919.

A major industry today needs to be able to speak responsibly with a single voice to Governments.  Although it is sometimes difficult to reach industry consensus, the industry voice gains in strength and is respected when the majority of firms in the sector support the industry position. Food safety and animal welfare and handling are example of non-competitive issues for which industry best practices are shared.

Members participate at the national level through a number of Board-mandated Committees or sector groupings which include:

  Beef, Veal and Lamb
  Pork
  Technical
  Associate Members
  Annual Conference

  E. coli & Listeria Working Groups

The current regular membership includes 43 firms operating 133 plants.

Canadian Meat Council

2010 Top 6 Objectives and Strategies

(not in order of importance)

1. Food Safety

2. Regulatory Policy

3. Nutrition and Health

4. Industry Competitiveness and Sustainability

5. Foreign Market Access

6. Animal Welfare and Handling

Lobbying Activity Information

Animal Welfare: The Canadian Meat Council is a founding member of the National Farm Animal Care Council. We have asked that the Federal Government participate in the funding of this important initiative that benefits the entire farmed animal industry in Canada.

Biofuels Regulations: Advocate for government policies that promote the use of non-feed grain inputs for ethanol (such as cellulose) and bio fuels and that provide opportunities to convert animal by-products into biofuels, energy, and electricity.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice with respect to the current freeze on user fees. The Canadian Meat Council is a member of the CFIA Working Group on User Fees. A change to the fee structure will result in more competitive fees and a service standard to ensure value and timely service for the fees paid.

Food and Drug Regulations: Advocate for the approval of new regulations to extend the use of food irradiation in Canada to include ground beef, poultry, and beef carcasses.

Food and Drugs Act: Advocate for an amendment to the Act to allow for the immediate approval in Canada of all antimicrobial agents currently approved by European Union and by the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration.

Health Canada Own Use Drug Provision: We support the introduction of amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations to restrict personal use importation of unapproved veterinary drugs intended to be administered to food-producing animals.

Listeria Control Policy: Advocate for more flexibility in the Listeria control policy to allow for less mandatory testing of ready-to-eat meat products that do not support the growth of Listeria such as pepperoni and salami.

Meat Hygiene Directive February 27, 2009 Policy on Listeria Control: provided feedback and questions with regards to the implementation of the Policy.

Meat Inspection Regulations: Advocate for the deregulation of the premarket registration process for food packaging materials used by federally registered establishments. The safety of all materials used for packaging foods is already controlled under Division 23 of Part B of the Food and Drug Regulations.

Meat Inspection Regulations: Advocated for more retail inspection of pre-packaged imported meat products to ensure that the proper "Product of..." declaration is present. In addition, many imported prepackaged meat products do not meet current Canadian labelling regulations such as mandatory bilingual labels, use of only approved ingredients and the Canadian Nutrition Facts panel.

Meat Inspection Regulations: Encouraged the Government of Canada to hold public consultations on the deregulation of mandatory pre-market label approval for meat products under the Meat Inspection Regulations and to then proceed with Gazette I and Gazette II publications of regulatory change.

National Farmed Animal Health Strategy: The Government of Canada should fully fund the monitoring of animal movement at the Manitoba-Ontario border at a test site called “West Hawk Lake”.

Product of Canada Guidelines: with regard to labelling of meat products.

Provided input into a proposed Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union at the request of the Federal Government

Veterinary Import Policy: Animal Health Risk Assessment: requested an updated risk assessment on the importation of live American hogs for slaughter in Canada.

World Trade Organization Doha Round Negotiations:Canadian meat processors need an ambitious trade deal at the World Trade Organization to gain better access to important export markets. We need a significant reduction in import tariffs, the elimination of export subsidies and greatly reduced domestic support that distorts pricing and international markets.