Certification program aims to produce ractopamine-free pork

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

The Canadian pork industry has developed a ractopamine-free pork certification program to provide export markets assurances the pork they’re importing from Canada is raised without the feed additive.

The program is available now and includes requirements for pork producers, feed manufacturers, transporters, slaughterhouses, processors and storage facilities.

Russian authorities told its meat supplying countries, including Canada, the United States and Brazil, that as of Dec. 7, 2012 it would not allow ractopamine residues in meat imported into the country and into the other two countries it has a trading block with – Belarus and Kazakhstan. “Russian officials have indicated that along with a veterinary certificate, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency must attach an official guarantee to each shipment that ractopamine has not been used at any stage of production in the feed of the animals from which the meat is derived,” Ontario Pork says in its May 14 daily news brief on its website.

Ontario Pork spokesman Keith Robbins says they sent out a package to farmers outlining what forms must be completed along with background information about the new program. In a May 7 letter to producers on Canadian Pork Council letterhead, farmers were told they must obtain assurances from feed suppliers and incoming animal suppliers that the pigs’ feed and feed ingredients do not contain ractopamine and have been processed and handled to avoid contamination. Incoming animals must also not have been fed ractopamine-containing feed.

To be eligible for shipping pigs under the program, a barn must undergo an enrollment assessment that includes a review and confirmation of supporting documents and records. The enrollment assessment report is forwarded to the producer’s slaughterhouse and Ontario Pork. Barns using ractopamine during the past 12 months will have to do carcass tests. An ongoing program assessment checklist must be completed each year by the Canadian quality assurance (CQA) program validators and submitted to the CQA provincial coordinator.

The program, developed by the CFIA, Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Pork Council, Canada Pork International and the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, is in place so Canadian processors can continue shipping product to Russia.

As for how many farmers may be using the program, Canadian Pork Council spokesman Gary Stordy says “that’s a discussion between the farmers and their processors where they ship the animals to. We understand that not all plants are taking up this program.”

Stordy says the pork council isn’t necessarily endorsing or supporting the implementation of the program “unless there’s a discussion between the producer and the processor.” BF