Evaluating the food safety systems governing the production of pork and poultry meat and meat products for export to Canada
11. Conclusions
The MS have developed the programs as required under the EU legislation in order to ensure the safety of the production of meat and poultry products and the humane handling of animals presented for slaughter. However, due to limitations within the individual MS, the implementation of the written programs does not always meet the required standard, and in some cases there are significant concerns, as outlined in this report.
It was also established that the DG SANTE's oversight of the MS so far was limited to verification of compliance with the EU regulations and did not include verifying compliance with Canadian requirements that are over and above the EU regulations.
Multiple audit findings in three establishments located in two MS (Greece and Slovenia) indicate a need for improvement of CA oversight related to the establishment functions, particularly HACCP and prerequisite programs, and slaughter/processing controls. In other establishments, issues relative to the various key areas were found, with the exception of the program for monitoring of chemical residues. CFIA requests the competent authorities in all four MS to take appropriate actions to address those issues in all establishments under their supervision.
The audit process also highlighted the differences in Canadian versus the EU requirements particularly in the following areas:
- In case of RTE meat and poultry products, the EU does not require testing for Listeria monocytogenes at the establishment level: the testing is performed at the retail point of sale
- Canadian requirements for cooling of heat processed meat products are prescriptive; the EU does not prescribe such requirements which may lead to food safety issues due to growth of pathogens in the final product
- The requirements for processing and incubation testing of canned products are prescriptive in Canada whereas the EU requirements lack clarity and detail which may lead to food safety non compliances
- The list of inedible poultry parts is different in the EU and Canada
The audit showed that the MS have developed the programs as required under the various pieces of EU legislation in order to ensure the safety of the production of meat and poultry products and the humane handling of animals presented for slaughter. However, due to limitations within the individual MS, the implementation of the written programs does not always meet the required EU standard, and in some cases the auditors had significant concerns.
Addendum:
December 11, 2017
The CFIA has concluded that it is unable to approve the entire EU Member States' meat inspection systems to allow the import of meat and meat products into Canada at this time. However, the following EU Member States are now eligible for the export of the meat and meat products listed below, upon the approval of the appropriate official meat inspection certificates:
- Slovenia - pork and processed pork meat products;
- Poland - poultry and processed poultry meat products; and
- Croatia - poultry and processed poultry meat products
Due to the serious nature of the findings concerning inspection oversight in Greece, the CFIA has concluded that all establishments currently approved to export meat and meat products to Canada will be suspended until further notice, as of today. Thus, the CFIA will not approve new establishments for export of meat and meat products from Greece to Canada until further notice.
The two major outstanding concerns preventing the approval of the EU Member States' meat inspection systems are:
- the inconsistent implementation of EU meat inspection programs in the EU Member States
- the inability of the DG SANTE's Directorate F to verify compliance with the Canadian import requirements which are over and above the EU regulations
Finally, the import requirements for each of the items listed below must be complied with as they relate to exported meat and meat products to Canada from the European Union:
- Sampling and testing of Listeria monocytogenes
- Hermetically sealed meat products
- Cooling of heat processed products
- Inedible poultry parts
- Allergen control programs to be developed maintained and implemented in establishments and appropriate inspection oversight to be provided, and the list of allergens to include pine nuts
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