The Rainy River District abattoir looks west

Sunday, February 6, 2011

And a federal-provincial pilot project to break down trade barriers is the means it is hoping to use to do so

by DON STONEMAN

Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. opened its doors for business last February. But, from the get-go, the producers backing the provincially inspected plant that sold meat locally had higher aspirations.

Most meat from the plant is sold at farm gates. There are limited retail sales. But the not-for-profit outfit's president, Steve Loshaw, and the rest of the board are looking to markets in the west. The plant is located in Emo, "at the other end of Yonge Street" from Toronto, a 20-hour drive east and south. Winnipeg is five hours to the west, but on the other side of a provincial border. Meat from provincial plants can only be sold within a province's borders.

So it was no surprise that, after Christmas, Loshaw found himself putting the final touches on an application for the awkwardly named community-owned establishment to take part in the equally awkwardly named Federal/Provincial/Territorial Interprovincial Meat Trade Pilot Project.

There will be 10 plants taking part in the pilot, funded by up to $3 million from the Agricultural Flexibility Fund. Only "one or two" are likely to be from Ontario, allows Lori Nichol, executive director of the Ontario Independent Meat Packers Association. The successful plants would be vetted to see what it takes to bring them up to limited federal standards and allow sales across provincial borders. Sales out of the country still wouldn't be allowed. The deadline for submissions was Jan. 7. Loshaw hopes a decision will be made shortly.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced the pilot project in early December, but it was mentioned in briefings following the federal-provincial-territorial ministers meeting in Saskatchewan in July. The pilot has the blessing of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, which favours an end to interprovincial trade barriers.

Most provinces don't have provincial meat inspection systems, says Nichol. In others, food safety is left up to local health units. Susan Murray, spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), says that Ontario's standards are the most stringent.

According to the Ontario ministry's information phone-in line, the pilot provincial inspection will continue at the plant but federal inspectors will also be attending and, after the pilot is over, federal inspectors will rule. There is a cost associated with federal inspections.

The only privately owned abattoir in Rainy River District closed in 1996. Last February's opening marked the end of "a 14-year struggle to try to build a new one," Loshaw says.

There are about 200 beef producers in the district, according to OMAFRA figures, Loshaw says.

The multi-species plant in Emo slaughters bison, elk, pigs and lambs, as well as cattle. There is cooler capacity for 40 head. The establishment has 20-foot-high ceilings and four-inch drains, rather than the three-inch drains required as a minimum by the province, says Loshaw. "Ceiling height and drain width seemed to be the biggest issues" involved in meeting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's more stringent standards for a federally inspected plant, he says.

The Emo plant received a Premier's Award for Innovation and other federal and provincial financing as well. The province kicked in $500,000 from its Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. In 2008, it received a $500,000 "conditionally repayable contribution" from Industry Canada. (The money is only paid back if the business is successful.)

Loshaw says producers don't need to "buy in" to get livestock slaughtered: there is a separate fee structure for non-members of the community owned plant.

Sarah Petrevan, senior communications advisor in Ontario agriculture minister Carol Mitchell's office, says several provincial plants every year move to federal inspection for business reasons. Rainy River has lots of competition. There were 52 applications to be included in the pilot project just from Ontario. This pilot project lets the federal government collect information on what is involved in exchange for some dollars. The expenditures will vary from plant to plant, she says. The cost-share amount is usually split equally among federal and provincial governments and plant operators.

A successful applicant must have a good food safety compliance record, show a management commitment and have a sound financial record.

"Generally speaking our regulations are pretty well lined up with what the feds have," Petrevan says.

"We have no plans whatsoever to eliminate provincial systems," she asserts. "We always want to protect our small guys. . . . They are pretty important to our provincial food system. We want to keep them strong." BF