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
Precision Harvesting with HeadSight and TrueSight Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Modern harvesting relies heavily on precision and smart technology, and new systems for head height control and steering are making sure you are not leaving bushels in the field. These innovations ensure efficient crop collection, protect equipment, and reduce operator fatigue during... Read this article online
Remembering Ralph Winfield: Beloved Better Farming Columnist Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Ontario's farming community is mourning the loss of longtime agricultural writerRalph Gordon Winfieldof Glanworth, who passed away peacefully at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital on Oct. 17, 2025, at the age of 85. Ralph’s name has been closely tied to Better Farming since 1999. His... Read this article online
Case IH FieldOps Brings Smart Connectivity to Modern Farming Friday, October 17, 2025 that FieldOps operates on desktops through a web interface and on mobile devices through an app compatible with iPhone, Android, or iPad. This flexibility allows farmers to access critical machine and field information anytime, anywhere. One of the most significant upgrades to... Read this article online
New Holland Marks 50 Years of Twin Rotor Innovation Friday, October 17, 2025 New Holland is celebrating 50 years of leadership in twin rotor harvesting technology, a milestone that began with the introduction of the TR70 combine in 1975. This machine transformed agriculture by bringing the world the concept of twin rotor threshing and... Read this article online
22 young leaders graduate from Rural Ontario Institute’s Change Makers Program Thursday, October 16, 2025 The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) has marked a milestone in rural leadership development with the graduation of 22 participants from its Rural Change Makers (RCM) program. The private ceremony, held this October, celebrated a year of learning, collaboration, and community impact. “We... Read this article online