The clock is ticking toward the day when Canadian hog producers will have a hard time selling their animals to major packers and processors unless they’re recognized under the Canadian Quality Assurance program.
The Canadian Meat Council has set the end of this year as the target for hog producers to be recognized under the CQA program if they want to sell to federally inspected slaughter and processing plants in Canada.
If the meat council sticks to that target, it could mean that hogs produced at non-CQA farms will be rejected at federally inspected plants come Jan. 1, 2001.
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“That’s where it’s going,” said Bob Weaver, general manager of the meat council, a trade association representing federally inspected packers and processors of red meat.
The Canadian pork quality assurance effort is “whipping along really well, so rather than resist it, you might as well get on board.”
Not enough time
But the Canadian Pork Council thinks more time may be needed before the doors of major packers and processors are closed on hogs produced outside CQA.
The pork council wants to meet with the meat council to talk about the challenges faced in getting producers enrolled.
It also wants to talk about the year-end target set by the packing and processing industry.
“It’s probably achievable in terms of enrollment,” said Catherine Scovil, the pork council’s executive associate.
“But it may be more of a challenge to get them (producers) validated by the end of the year.”
The CQA program is meant to give domestic and foreign buyers of Canadian pork an added assurance of quality and food safety.
After enrolling in the program, producers must keep careful records of their management practices for at least three months.
An examination of those practices, which includes things like bedding, feed and medication, decides whether producers gain CQA recognition.
But some producers say they should get paid premiums since they will be producing quality hogs.
As of last week, 55 percent of Canada’s market hogs were produced on farms enrolled or recognized under the CQA program.
