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What is this engagement about?

Ranchers and abattoir operators in British Columbia are contributing to improve rural food supply and food security in the province, as part of ongoing government efforts to increase livestock production and processing in rural communities. The policy changes will also increase economic opportunities and strengthen B.C.’s provincial food system.
Policy changes being shared with ranchers, abattoirs, local governments and health authorities for consideration include:

• increasing the amount of meat that can be processed annually by Class D and E licence holders, and expanding the criteria of who and where their meat can be sold to;
• developing alternative models of licensing mobile abattoirs to improve service for smaller-scale producers;
• exploring a pilot program for conducting certain inspection components virtually; and
• renaming the current “Class A, B, D and E licenses” to more intuitive categories

The ministry is also collecting input on a number of topics from industry and the public regarding proposed changes to rural slaughter, such as:

• updating licensee training on slaughter practice, animal welfare and food safety to ensure provincially consistent and effective learning opportunities for rural producers;
• revising the code of practice for abattoir operators with required standard operating procedures to bring consistent practices and improved clarity for administrators and operators; and
• increasing the frequency of government inspector visits to rural abattoirs to an annual basis to ensure awareness and compliance with all requirements.

Feedback will be accepted until 4 pm (PDT) November 16, 2020.
 

How can my contribution make a difference?

The Ministry of Agriculture has suggested policy changes to meat processing in rural areas of the province that prioritize food safety and animal welfare. Read more about the possible changes in the intentions paper.

Your feedback will help to assess opportunities for improvement and positive change that will strengthen our provincial food system and ensure a strong and growing local meat industry in B.C. for many years to come.

Details of the Engagement:

Date: September 14 to November 16, 2020.

Status: Open

Location: Province-wide

Category: Agriculture

Type: Online

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