Meat inspection audit puts mutton mislabelling rumours to rest Tuesday, March 24, 2015 by DAVE PINK An audit by the meat inspection branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has reassured the province’s sheep producers that mutton is not being mislabelled and sold as lamb. The audit was initiated back in September by the Sheep Industry Advisory Committee, says committee chairman Elmer Buchanan, after farmers said they were hearing rumours that the less desirable and stronger tasting mutton was being wrongly labelled. “There were musings,” says Buchanan. “And if that was happening, it could potentially hurt lamb sales.” He says that no specific packing plants or food retailers were suspected, but that the advisory committee thought it was best to ask the advice of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Ontario ministry. The ministry completed its audit of the industry earlier this year and concluded that no one is breaking the rules, says Buchanan. An information sheet based on the audit has been posted it on the ministry’s website. “At the end of the day there were no concerns and the sheep producers were pleased,” says Buchanan. In its final report, the investigators said: “Occasionally we hear of mutton being mislabelled as lamb. When this happens it can turn customers away from the business in question and harm the reputation of Ontario’s lamb industry.” The report pointed out that provincially licensed meat plant operators are legally obligated to make sure their labels and advertising is “accurate, truthful, and not misleading or deceptive.” Violators can be fined $25,000 for a first offence, and $50,000 for a subsequent offence along with imprisonment of up to two years imprisonment. Corporations are subject to a $100,000 fine for a first offence and $200,000 for a subsequent offence. In live animals, a lamb will have no more than one permanent incisor, while a mature sheep will have two or more. In a carcass, a lamb’s joints are less well formed, appear slightly damp and reddish, and are more easily broken. A mature sheep’s joints are hardened and white. As well, a lamb’s ribs tend to be rounded and red, while in a mature sheep they are flat and white. BF Tomato growers, Leamington processor at odds over price class proposal Ontario unveils new neonic rules
2025 Election Results Prompt Concern and Reflection Among Prairie Farmers Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Users on Agriville.com weigh-in on the 2025 federal election outcome As news broke on April 28 that Mark Carney’s Liberals had won the 2025 federal election, many western Canadian farmers on Agriville.com shared their reactions. The mood was largely one of disappointment, with... Read this article online
Support IPM With a Bench Sponsorship Tuesday, April 29, 2025 The International Plowing Match & Rural Expo (IPM) Local Committee has launched the Bench Sponsorship Project for the upcoming 2025 event in West Niagara. This initiative invites individuals and businesses to sponsor commemorative benches for $500 each, helping enhance the visitor... Read this article online
New board members for Ontario Pork Friday, April 25, 2025 Ontario Pork, an association representing the 1,898 pork farms that market 5.9 million hogs in the province, has announced its new board lineup for 2025. As a Guelph, Ontario-headquartered organization, Ontario Pork is engaged in the areas of research, government representation,... Read this article online
A Chicken’s Dream: The Perfect Home for Our Feathery Friends! Friday, April 25, 2025 BY: Zahra Sadiq Do you raise chickens on your farm for personal, friends and family use? Don’t you think your feathery friends deserve to live in style? If so, look no further, Roost & Root have plenty of chicken coop models to choose from that you and your chickens will... Read this article online
Sheep farmers win Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers Thursday, April 24, 2025 Sheep farmers and wool producers from Wallenstein, Ont. are Ontario’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2025. “It’s great to be recognized by your peers in the industry with an award like that,” Ryan Schill told Farms.com. “When we started the sheep farm, there were people questioning us... Read this article online