Final Report of an Audit of the Poultry Meat Inspection System of South Korea – July 5 to 16, 2018

On this page

• Abbreviations and special terms used in the report
• Executive summary
• 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Background
  • 1.2 Audit objective, scope, and methodology
  • 1.3 Legal basis for the audit and audit standards
• 2. Competent authority and oversight
  • 2.1 Regulatory framework
  • 2.2 Oversight framework
  • 2.3 Training framework
  • 2.4 Export controls
  • 2.5 Import controls
  • 2.6 Enforcement framework
• 3. Ante-mortem, humane handling and animal welfare controls
  • 3.1 Traceability and animal identification
  • 3.2 Ante-mortem inspection
  • 3.3 Humane handling and animal welfare
• 4. Slaughter and post-mortem
• 5. Processing controls
  • 5.1 Chilling/freezing controls
  • 5.2 Water retention program
  • 5.3 Retrot process
• 6. HACCP and pre-requisite programs controls
• 7. Microbiological controls
• 8. Chemical residue controls
• 9. Closing meeting
• 10. Conclusions
• 11. Annex I

Abbreviations and special terms used in the report

APQA

Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency

CCA

Central Competent Authority

CCP

Critical Control Point

CFIA

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

CVO

Chief Veterinary Officer

DOA

Dead on Arrival

DVM

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

FAD

Foreign Animal Disease

GMP

Good Manufacturing Practices

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

MFDS

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

MAFRA

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

MOU

Memorandum of Understanding

NRCP

National Residues Control Program

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure

SSOP

Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure

Executive summary

This report describes the outcome of an on-site audit of the meat inspection system governing the production of poultry meat and meat products intended for export to Canada. More specifically, the audit included visit of 2 processing establishments producing Samgyetang (chicken ginseng stew) and 2 slaughter establishments supplying raw poultry meat to these 2 processing establishments.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted audit during the period of July 5 to 16, 2018. The objective of the audit was to verify that the food safety system governing meat products in the Republic of Korea (hereafter referred to as Korea) is functioning in a manner determined to be equivalent to that of Canada that is producing meat products that are safe, unadulterated, and properly labelled. The audit focused on verification of activities within the following areas:

• competent authority and oversight
• ante-mortem, humane handling and animal welfare controls
• slaughter and post-mortem controls
• processing controls
• hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and pre-requisite program controls
• microbiological controls
• chemical residues controls

The Republic of Korea has 2 tier inspection system and includes separate requirements for domestic and export market. The requirements for meat inspection system for export vary from one country to other. The proposed meat inspection system which would govern the production of meat and meat products for export to Canada was evaluated during this audit. This inspection system is currently being used for production and processing of poultry meat products for export to the USA. Overall, the audit results showed that proposed meat inspection system for production of poultry meat and meat products for export to Canada is performing as intended in an adequate manner and generally demonstrated an acceptable implementation of controls for all areas described above.

Following the review of the action plan provided by MFDS, the CFIA has determined that South Korea's poultry meat inspection system governing the production of poultry meat and meat products for export to Canada meets the Canadian import requirements. Therefore, the audited slaughter and processing establishments may be approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for the export of cooked poultry meat and meat products to Canada upon agreement on the text of the official meat inspection certificate for both animal and public health attestations.

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Presently, no meat inspection system for Korea is approved by the CFIA therefore import of meat and meat products from Korea to Canada is not allowed. In response to Korea's request of exporting cooked poultry products to Canada, document review and onsite audit was conducted by the CFIA. As only 2 slaughter and 2 processing establishments were in the scope of this audit, an establishment-by-establishment approval approach was selected.

1.2 Audit objective, scope, and methodology

The audit focused on verification of activities within the following subject areas:

• competent authority and oversight
  • regulatory framework
  • oversight framework
  • training framework
  • export controls
  • import controls
  • enforcement framework
• ante-mortem, humane handling and animal welfare controls
  • traceability and animal identification
  • ante-mortem inspection
  • humane handling and animal welfare
• slaughter and post-mortem controls
• processing controls
  • chilling/freezing controls
  • retained water control program
  • retort process
• HACCP and pre-requisite program controls
• microbiological controls
• chemical residues controls

Administrative functions were reviewed at Central Competent Authority (CCA) headquarters during which the auditor evaluated regulatory, oversight, enforcement and training framework, and export and import controls. The CFIA auditors were accompanied throughout the audit by representatives from the CCA and area offices.

Table 1: Summary of audit scope

Competent authority/establishment visits	Number of sites visited	Locations
Opening Meeting – MFDS Headquarters	N/A	Seoul
Regional office – MFDS and MAFRA	1	Gyeongin
Samgyetang processing establishments and associated cold storages	2	Iksan-city Cheoin-gu
Poultry Slaughter establishments and associated cold storages	2	Iksan-city Chungju-si

1.3 Legal basis for the audit and audit standards

The audit was undertaken under the specific provisions of Canadian laws and regulations, in particular:

• The Meat Inspection Act
• The Meat Inspection Regulations 1990

The audit was conducted in a manner consistent with conventional program delivery audit standards, and was intended to assess the degree to which inspection activities performed by the CCA were consistent with the regulatory and procedural requirements and specifications. The Codex guidelines on the judgment of equivalence of sanitary measures associated with food inspection and certification systems was followed.

2. Competent authority and oversight

2.1 Regulatory framework

Multiple laws are adopted by Korea for establishing, designing and implementing the control procedures of the meat inspection system.

The 4 principle laws are:

• Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act (LPSC)
• Food Sanitation Act (FSA)
• Testing and Inspection on Food and Drugs Act (laboratory quality assurance)
• The Act of Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases (PCAD)

These acts are supported by the relevant notices and guidelines:

• Guidelines for residues test for meat (MDFS Notice 2015-59)
• Guidelines for microbiological test for meat (MFDS Notice 2018-2)
• HACCP Standards of foods and Livestock products (Notice 2018-31)
• Guidelines Analytical Manual for food label standards

Conclusion

The competent authority has organizational and regulatory framework to ensure the development, planning and implementation of the poultry inspection system.

2.2 Oversight framework

There are 3 Korean central governmental organizations that are related to the export of poultry products to Canada:

• The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS)
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)
• The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) under MAFRA

MFDS consists of headquarter and 6 regional offices and is responsible for establishing meat inspection policies and legislating and revising food safety regulations. Furthermore, the MFDS provides oversight at the processing establishment eligible to export meat and meat products. The MAFRA consists of headquarter and 5 affiliated agencies including APQA. The APQA consists of 6 regional offices and 22 district offices. The APQA carries out disease prevention and quarantine activities for animals, animal products and by-products, and provides government oversight at slaughter establishments eligible to export meat and meat products. The local government is responsible to implement and enforce the policies generated by MFDS, MAFRA and APQA and provides oversight to slaughter establishments for domestic market.

The operation at slaughter establishment including ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection is completed under the daily oversight of APQA official veterinarians. In contrast, official veterinarians of the local government are responsible to conduct the daily inspection in the slaughterhouses for domestic market. The processing of poultry meat and meat products was completed under the daily oversight of MFDS officials. The supervisory oversight at slaughter and processing establishment eligible for export is provided by the regional offices of APQA and MFDS, respectively at a frequency of twice per year.

Conclusion

Adequate government oversight was in place to ensure the delivery of meat inspection system governing the production of poultry meat and meat products for export.

2.3 Training framework

It is mandatory by the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act of 2016 (article 30) that the inspectors and veterinarians conducting inspection receive training on sanitation and slaughter inspection annually.

Official veterinarians working with the government are required to receive minimum 100 hours of training per year through online, field education, or combination. The MFDS training includes supervisory and management courses, and technical courses including but not limited to quality control of agricultural and aquatic products, crisis management for food accidents, consumer policy, risk communication, sanitation control for livestock products, food microorganisms, ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection. The MAFRA conducts various training programs such as disease control and surveillance at an educational institute for agricultural food. For official auxiliaries, a minimum of 40 hours training needs to be completed at an educational institute designated by the MFDS, and a regular training for a minimum of 4 hours must be completed each year.

The training records for official veterinarians and auxiliaries were reviewed during onsite audit to ensure that training was completed as per the requirements.

Conclusion

The central competent authority possesses a training framework required to train human resources involved in the planning, development and implementation of the poultry meat inspection system.

2.4 Export controls

The MFDS, MAFRA and APQA administer the export establishment under the Livestock Products Sanitary Act and Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases Act. The export of meat and meat products is only allowed from a registered establishment eligible to export. The following procedures are followed for registration of establishments for exports:

1. Operator submits the application to regional APQA or local MFDS for designation of establishment for export.
2. The regional APQA or local MFDS completes the document review and onsite inspection.
3. The regional APQA or local MFDS submits the inspection report to the headquarters to make a decision on the approval of establishment for export.
4. The APQA or MFDS headquarters notify the foreign competent authority regarding approval of an establishment for export.
5. The regional APQA or local MFDS notifies the operator regarding approval of an establishment for export.
6. Any modification to eligible establishment requires document review by regional APQA or local MFDS.

The list of eligible establishments is maintained electronically by the competent authority. Any changes to the eligibility list are communicated to front line staff via e-government electronic platform.

Based on the animal health restrictions, Korea can only be considered for export fully cooked poultry products to Canada. The raw poultry meat is transported from approved slaughter establishments to processing under an official seal and transfer certificate. The processed poultry meat products are directly exported from the eligible processing establishments without using any intermediate cold storage. A person who wishes to export products applies for:

1. Issuance of the export certificate to the regional office within the jurisdiction as per article 37 of the enforcement rules of the Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases and Article 38 of the enforcement rules of the special Act on Imported Food Safety Management.
2. The officer in receipt of the application for export certificate reviews matters stated in the attached application, application for slaughter inspection, detailed statement for product manufacture, proof for non-occurrence of livestock epidemics, compliance with the trading partner's import health requirements etc.
3. The officer puts a label for a certificate of inspection with "Quarantined" and "Examined" on the visible part of a packing box after verifying documents related to the manufacture of corresponding products, conducting inspection of actual products to be exported, and checking the packaging and labelling at the establishments for export using the verification and inspection table prior to the shipment of poultry products.
4. All containers are sealed by government officer using official seal after loading.
5. After completing the export quarantine and inspection process for export products, the MFDS and APQA veterinary officers signs the export certificate for livestock products.

Conclusion

Adequate export controls were in place to ensure that only eligible establishments would be approved to export to Canada.

2.5 Import controls

The pre-import evaluation for live animals, and animal products and by-products includes following steps:

1. Evaluation of the foreign country's disease status

   MAFRA conducts an import risk analysis regarding the possibility of an inflow of contagious diseases with respect to the designated quarantine items pursuant to Article 32 of the Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases. Import is permitted if there is no concern for dissemination of diseases.

2. Evaluation of the foreign country's sanitary control status

   MFDS carries out a preliminary evaluation of the trading partner's sanitation status for import by livestock product pursuant to Article 11 of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management and permits import when it is controlled at a level that is equivalent to or higher than South Korea.

3. On-site inspection of establishments for export

   Document review and onsite audit by MAFRA (APQA) or MFDS is required prior to approve the import of live animals, animal products and byproducts to South Korea.

4. Negotiation for export certificate and import health requirements

   Livestock products are permitted into South Korea after a preliminary discussion regarding the import quarantine and sanitation requirements is completed between the trading partner and the South Korean government (MAFRA, MFDS).

For imported animals, APQA conducts quarantine and laboratory testing for diseases depending on the country and types of animals. For livestock products, document review, epidemiological investigations, on-site quarantine, etc. are conducted. To import food to South Korea, import inspection by the MFDS is required pursuant to Articles 20 and 21 of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Management. Import inspection includes a document review, random sampling and laboratory testing (residue, microorganisms, etc.).

Information collected on import was based on the interviews and onsite visit to a port of entry office was out of scope of this audit.

Conclusion

Adequate import controls were implemented to ensure the importation of only eligible meat and meat products to South Korea.

2.6 Enforcement framework

All establishments for livestock products including the establishment for export are operated and managed pursuant to the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act of 2016. Establishments for export in South Korea must comply with the management standards of the quarantine facilities pursuant to the Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases, and corrective measures must be taken if they do not meet specified requirements or if they do not comply with the management standards. When violations are identified upon sample collection, inspection and sanitation monitoring, central and local governments may take administrative measures such as:

• suspension of operations
• suspension of the exportation
• withdrawal, seizure, destruction or recall of the pertinent product
• suspension of the business license
• imposition of penalty surcharges or administrative Fines
• revocation of the license
• public official closure of the establishment
• imprisonment

Document review at the audited establishments concluded that non-compliances were appropriately followed-up by the competent authority for establishments eligible to export.

Conclusion

Policy and procedures were in place to ensure that enforcement action is taken in response to non-compliances related to food safety, animal welfare and food fraud.

3. Ante-mortem, humane handling and animal welfare controls

3.1 Traceability and animal identification

South Korea has a vertically integrated system for poultry production in which one company controls from grand-parents to hatchery to live chicks to slaughter establishments. All poultry farms are registered with local government and have a unique registration number. Poultry flocks are identified using unique registration number of farm. Two audited slaughterhouses were able to successfully trace the live birds back to farm of origin.

Conclusion

The traceability and animal identification system for poultry was implemented to ensure the traceability of live animals and animal products.

3.2 Ante-mortem inspection

As described in the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act of 2016 article 11, any slaughter business operator referred to in Article 21 (1) shall undergo an inspection of the livestock slaughtered and processed at his/her place of work by an inspector appointed. Ante-mortem inspection at establishments eligible to export is conducted by the official veterinarian of APQA. The ante-mortem inspection is conducted on all poultry in a holding area and divided into the group and the individual inspection. The group inspection is carried out for each lot to ensure that birds are free of any disease. Furthermore, individual birds are inspected from suspicious lot.

Slaughtering begins immediately after completion of an ante-mortem inspection of animals, and there are no specific regulations to define an interval between the ante-mortem inspection and the slaughter.

Slaughterhouses were equipped with cleaning and disinfection facilities for animal transportation vehicles pursuant to the Facilities Standards by Business Type in Annex 10 and article 21 of the Enforcement Rule of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act.

Conclusion

Ante-mortem inspection was completed as described in the Livestock products sanitary control Act. Ante-mortem inspection by APQA veterinarians was only conducted at export eligible establishments.

No regulation is in place to define an interval between the ante-mortem inspection and the slaughter.

3.3 Humane handling and animal welfare

In South Korea, a general plan for animal welfare is established and implemented by the central administrative organizations (MAFRA, APQA) pursuant to the Animal Protection Act, and the local self-governing organizations are required to support the national plan. At 2 audited slaughterhouses, written animal welfare program was not present and implemented. However, no deficiencies related to humane handling and animal welfare was noted during onsite audit. All birds were handled in a humane manner and stunned properly prior to bleeding. Verification of humane handling, stunning and bleeding was not performed by the competent authority (APQA).

Conclusion

At 2 audited slaughterhouses, written animal welfare program was not present. Furthermore, verification of humane handling, and stunning and bleeding was not performed by the competent authority (APQA).

4. Slaughter and post-mortem

Poultry slaughter, cutting and boning activities were observed in the 2 slaughter establishments during this audit. The inspection system in South Korea is the traditional organoleptic, coupled with mandatory HACCP programs. Every animal that is slaughtered in the approved establishment eligible to export is subjected to a detailed and systematic post-mortem inspection. The carcasses and corresponding viscera and cavity are identified and inspected. The slaughter and post-mortem inspection at slaughter establishments eligible to export is conducted under the supervision of official veterinarian employed by APQA.

The Critical Control Point (CCP) for the monitoring of fecal and ingesta presence was located at the end of the evisceration line (prior to chiller) with a zero tolerance for fecal and ingesta on poultry carcasses. The random checks were performed by the competent authority to ensure that carcasses are free of fecal and ingesta.

Conclusion

Post-mortem inspection was completed as per the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act and Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases Act.

5. Processing controls

5.1 Chilling/freezing controls

Chilling and freezing standards were implemented as described in the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act. Both water and air chilling methods were used alternately to reach the chilling temperature of the carcasses in both slaughter establishments visited. The chilling temperature was monitored as a CCP with core temperature of the carcass to reach less than 4°C. The time to reach this temperature was approximately one hour due to the small size of the carcasses.

Frozen meat is defined as the meat exposed to the action of industrial cooling until the center of the muscle mass reached a temperature not exceeding −18°C, which must be maintained during the storage and the distribution chain. The temperature of the frozen products was monitored as a process control/control point at the exit of the freezer. At the audited establishments, competent authority completed the verification of the implementation of the chilling and freezing controls.

Conclusion

Chilling and freezing controls were implemented as described in the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act.

5.2 Retained water control program

The retained water control program was implemented at the slaughter establishment eligible to export meat and meat products. At 2 audited establishments, the operators developed and implemented a written and validated retained water control program for poultry carcasses. For export purposes, the carcasses are permitted to retain a maximum of 8% absorbed and retained water as a result of post-evisceration contact. The results at the audited establishments demonstrated an average of less than 4% of water retention. The carcass parts and giblets were not included in the retained water control program as only whole carcasses would be used in the preparation of the Samgyetang intended for export to Canada.

Conclusion

South Korea doesn't have domestic requirements for the water retention control programs. Validated retained water control program was implemented as an export requirement at the 2 audited slaughter establishments.

5.3 Retort process

The Samgyetang chicken ginseng stew consists of a stuffed whole poultry carcass with chestnut, glutinous rice, jujube fruit and ginseng root in a broth. The weight of the poultry carcass used for preparation of Samgyetang is usually less than 500 grams. The Samgyetang chicken ginseng stew is a cooked in the bag (laminated pouches) product and is described as ready to eat (RTE) meat product. Depending on the time/temperature sequence during the retort process, 2 types of products intended for export to Canada are produced:

• fully cooked shelf stable product
• fully cooked frozen non shelf stable

The heat treatment for fully cooked shelf stable product and fully cooked frozen non-shelf stable products was completed by using horizontal autoclaves. The calibration of the autoclaves was performed on a yearly basis. Furthermore, validation of capacity of the autoclaves to achieve the time/temperature standards was performed by the Korea Testing laboratory. The cooking of the fully cooked frozen non-shelf stable product was completed at 100°C for 55 minutes, followed by quick freezing at −30°C for 24 hours. Thereafter, the product is kept frozen at −18°C. The cooking of fully cooked shelf stable product was completed at 121°C for 60 to 70 minutes.

The monitoring and verification of the thermal treatment was completed via a CCP for every batch of heat treatment cycle for each autoclave. The validation of the log reduction of the listeria before and after the thermal treatment was performed. However, the log reduction validation for salmonella was performed only in one of the processing plants audited. The validated F value for fully cooked shelf stable products was more than 4. The shelf life of for fully cooked shelf stable product and fully cooked frozen non-shelf stable products is 18 months and 24 months, respectively.

The operator monitored the container integrity by visual examination and a squeeze test of the package after the sealing operation. The container integrity was also monitored by conducting a leak test that is applying external pressure on one immersed pouch in a water basin. These tests were recorded in the associated monitoring documents.

Incubation test for shelf stable product was performed in an incubator for 10 days at 35°C in the in-house laboratory. The operators completed a daily visual monitoring of the packages and the thermometer but it was not recorded.

Conclusion

The retort process was completed as per the Korean requirements and meets the Canadian specifications as outlined in the visual examination of commercially sterile low-acid and acidified low-acid foods packed in hermetically sealed containers

However, the monitoring of temperature for incubation test was not recorded.

6. HACCP and pre-requisite programs controls

As described in the Livestock Product and Sanitary Act, it is mandatory to develop, implement and maintain a HACCP plan in all slaughterhouses and meat processing establishments eligible to export. The Korea Agency of HACCP accreditation and services is the authority responsible for the accreditation of HACCP at each establishment. The officials of MFDS and APQA check the implementation of HACCP plan and importing country requirements at export eligible processing and slaughter establishments using specific checklists. At all audited establishments, the HACCP plans were developed, maintained and implemented as per requirements.

The prerequisite programs were implemented as per Livestock Product and Sanitary Act and possessed all elements as described in the Canadian requirements. A pre-operational verification was performed with the MFDS officer at one processing establishment. The MFDS officer checked all areas prior to start of the production and no non-compliance was noted.

The moisture build-up in the production areas were noted in three of the establishments audited during this audit, however no direct product contamination was observed. Furthermore, the segregation between domestic and export products were not maintained as per the written program in a quick freezer area.

MFDS is responsible for determining and establishing the list of priority food allergens in South Korea. Currently, the items subjected to allergy-related labelling in South Korea include eggs (limited to poultry), milk, buckwheat, peanut, soybean, wheat, mackerel, crab, shrimp, pork, peach, tomato, walnut, beef, chicken, squid, seashells (including oyster, abalone, and mussels), sulfurous acid (when sulphur dioxide is present at levels above 10 mg/kg).

The 2 establishment visited didn't include allergens in the recipe of the Samgyetang intended for export to Canada. However, establishments developed and implemented an allergen control program as part of operational pre-requisites. The allergen control program only contained the South Korean list of allergens which does not include all Canadian priority food allergens.

The Agro-Livestock and Fishery Products Policy Division of MFDS is in charge of the standards for labels of livestock products in South Korea. The food products containing allergens must be declared pursuant to the Labelling Standards for Livestock Products of South Korea. The list of ingredients, allergens, nutritional facts, heating instructions and traceable product coding were identified on the label at the establishments visited as described in South Korea's LPCS and FSA.

Conclusion

HACCP and pre-requisites programs were implemented as described in the Livestock Product and Sanitary Act and Food Sanitation Act. The official verification of HACCP and pre-requisite program was only completed at export eligible establishments.

All establishments visited developed and implemented an allergen control program. However, the Korean list of allergens does not include all Canadian priority food allergens.

The condensation build-up in the production areas were noted 3 of the establishments visited during this audit.

7. Microbiological controls

The chlorine was used as an anti-microbial agent and added to the chiller with automatic injection pump and measured with calibrated portable photometer. The chlorine levels were monitored using a CCP with critical limits of 20 to 50 ppm. As described in the MFDS Notice No.2017-80 Guidelines for Microbiological Test in Slaughterhouses - PDF (3,120 kb), the operator shall conduct testing for E. coli Biotype I and Salmonella spp. The testing frequency and performance standards were as per Annex T and Annex U of the United States of America. The onsite audit at 2 slaughter establishments demonstrated that E. coli and Salmonella testing was performed as required.

The final product was tested each day by the operator by randomly selecting 5 packages of finished product. Testing included monitoring of shape, taste, odor and texture of the product and microbial growth. The microbiological testing for NSS includes total bacterial count, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. In contrast, the microbiological testing for fully cooked shelf stable products includes coal tar colour and commercially sterility.

In addition to sampling completed by the operator, the competent authority also collect samples for microbiological testing from each container destined for export. The container approximately contains 1 or 2 days of production. The operator randomly selects 6 packages under the oversight of MFDS. The testing parameters were same as described in the previous paragraph. The product was held until the confirmation from official laboratory that results are compliant. The non-compliant products were not eligible for export.

Conclusion

The microbiological testing for the poultry meat and meat products was completed as per the importing country requirements.

8. Chemical residue controls

The Food Sanitation Act prohibits the sale of foods which contain or are likely to contain poisonous or harmful substances. This act also stipulate that no one shall sell apparatus, containers or packages containing or tainted with poisonous or harmful materials.

The MFDS is responsible for the planning and development of the annual NRCP and MAFRA notifies provinces and cities by providing number of samples to be collected. Thereafter, provinces and cities allocate the plan to the jurisdiction and collect samples accordingly. The local government provides quarterly report to the APQA, which analyses the results and notifies MAFRA and MFDS.

Based on the review of NRCP, following deficiencies were noted:

• Enrofloxacin/Ciprofloxacin non-compliances have been identified in all four years provided (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017). These drug residues do not have established MRLs in poultry in Canada, therefore tolerance level is zero. In addition, the quinolones have been identified as high importance antimicrobials and as a result their excessive use in agriculture could lead to antimicrobial resistance.
• Prohibited substances including vancomycin and pyrimethamine are not monitored for in poultry.
• Colistin, an antimicrobial of very high importance, has an established MRL but is not routinely monitored.

The National Institute of Food and Drug Evaluation, 6 regional laboratories and 17 affiliated laboratories are responsible for testing the residues (pesticides, veterinary drugs, heavy metals) in the food. The non-compliant results are entered by the laboratory in Livestock Product Safety Management System and local government and APQA are notified. In case of non-compliant results, APQA and local government completes the follow-up to determine the root cause. The concerned farm is then put on a list of farms with residue violation and enhanced follow-up testing is completed.

Imported meat products from South Korea are subjected to routine monitoring for chemical residues. The results are assessed and must comply with Canadian maximum residue limits. The maximum residue limits for veterinary drug in foods are established by Health Canada and published on November 23, 2018.

Conclusion

The National Residues Control Program is developed and implemented by MFDS, MAFRA and APQA. Following deficiencies were noted:

• Enrofloxacin/Ciprofloxacin non-compliances have been identified in all four years provided (2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017). These drug residues do not have established MRLs in poultry in Canada, therefore tolerance level is zero. In addition, the quinolones have been identified as high importance antimicrobials and as a result their excessive use in agriculture could lead to antimicrobial resistance.
• Prohibited substances including vancomycin and pyrimethamine are not monitored for in poultry.
• Colistin, an antimicrobial of very high importance, has an established MRL but is not routinely monitored.

9. Closing meeting

The closing meeting was held in Seoul with representatives from MFDS, MAFRA on July 16, 2018. At the meeting, a summary of the preliminary findings from the audit were presented by the CFIA lead auditor.

10. Conclusions

Overall, the audit results showed that South Korea's meat inspection system for production and processing of poultry meat and meat products for export is performing as intended in an adequate manner and generally demonstrated an acceptable implementation of controls for all areas described above. Based on the audit findings, recommendations have been made with the intent of finding solutions for identified deficiencies.

Following the review of the action plan provided by MFDS, the CFIA has determined that South Korea's poultry meat inspection system governing the production of poultry meat and meat products for export to Canada meets Canadian import requirements. Therefore, the audited slaughter and processing establishments may be approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for the export of cooked poultry meat and meat products to Canada upon agreement on the text of the official meat inspection certificate for both animal and public health attestations.

11. Annex I

Summary of the MFDS action plan in response to the CFIA recommendations of the audit completed to evaluate the poultry meat inspection system in South Korea

CFIA recommendations	MFDS actions plans/comments
1. CFIA recommends that all establishment specific findings listed in appendix 1 be corrected and verified in a timely fashion.	With respect to the establishment specific findings presented by the Canada government, the competent authority of Korea has inspected the establishment concerned and verified the corrections implemented, and the Korean government will further carry out periodic controls so that such corrected actions can be maintained.
2. The CFIA recommends implementing a program to ensure that no animal is handled in a manner that subject's animal to avoidable distress or avoidable pains at establishments interested to export poultry meat products to Canada.	Provisions of Article 10 (Methods of Slaughtering Animals) of the Animal Protection Act and the Regulations for Slaughtering Animals (Notice of APQA) set forth the matters to be observed for the humane handling and animal welfare at the time of animal slaughtering. Accordingly, all establishments licensed for the slaughter business shall comply compulsorily with the provisions related to the humane handling and animal welfare, and Korean government authority annually inspects their compliance through HACCP follow-up assessments. As for the documented verification on the humane handling of livestock, stunning, bleeding, etc. in response to the specific findings of your side, the Korean government has included the above-mentioned matters into the Evaluation Checklist for Designation and Follow-up Management of the Establishment for Export, and shall perform the inspection accordingly twice a year.
3. The CFIA recommends implementing a program to ensure that all animals are humanely stunned and bled at establishments interested to export poultry meat products to Canada.	As for the documented verification on the humane handling of livestock, stunning, bleeding, etc. in response to the specific findings of your side, the Korean government has included the above-mentioned matters into the Evaluation Checklist for Designation and Follow-up Management of the Establishment for Export, and shall perform the inspection accordingly twice a year.
4. The CFIA recommends that monitoring of temperature for incubation test of shelf stable meat products be documented.	Retort Samgyetang is a product of the cooked food which was heat-pasteurized or sterilized after filled and sealed in retort pouch. To confirm the safety of these products, the final product is subjected to the bacterial growth test as set forth in the Korean Food Standards Codex. However, a corrective action was taken so that, in order to maintain the constancy of incubator temperature (3°C to 37°C), the temperature monitoring and record shall be written in a daily log and they shall be managed continuously by periodic inspections.
5. The CFIA recommends implementing a program to prevent the formation of condensation on the walls, ceilings and equipments in establishments interested to export poultry meat products to Canada.	A corrective action was introduced that, the inspection cycle and inspection method for the place where moisture condensation is likely to occur in the establishment for export, shall be reflected in the prerequisite program, and the periodic records on moisture removal shall be maintained by designating a person in charge. Furthermore microbiological analysis will performed on the condensate on a quarterly basis.
6. The CFIA recommends that the all Canadian priority food allergens be included in the allergen control program at establishments interested to export poultry meat products to Canada.	For the raw materials for Samgyetang produced in Korea, the food allergens determined by Canadian side are not used, but they were reflected in the prerequisite program for raw material control as recommended by your side. Also, a corrective action was taken to include checklists for Canadian priority food allergens into the raw material inspection log to check them at every warehousing of the raw materials.
7. The CFIA recommends that a sampling program is in place to ensure that poultry meat products intended for export to Canada is free of Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin and Colistin residues. As per Canadian requirements, the acceptable level is considered as zero. 8. The CFIA recommends that all prohibited substances be included in the National residues control program.	In order to comply with the standards of residues in Canada, Korean government shall carry out a thorough inspection for the poultry meat products intended for export to Canada and allow to export the products free of such residues to Canada. Vancomycin and pyrimethamine were not used in Korea, so they were not reflected in Korea's poultry residues monitoring plan. In compliance to your recommendation, Korean government shall carry out the test and inspection for the product volume intended for export to Canada by including the above substances in the residues monitoring plan. Colistin is low in usage and risk because it is prohibited to add antibiotics in formula feed (Korea, CODEX, EU, and Japan: 0.15 ppm). In compliance to your recommendation, Korean government shall carry out the periodical inspection for the product volume intended for export to Canada by including the above substance in the residues monitoring plan.