Canada’s chicken farmers say they’re looking forward to resolving the problem of illegal poultry imports entering Canada under a federal program.
Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay last week announced industry consultations regarding the Duties Relief Program, under which companies can import goods without paying duty as long as they later export the same goods.
Chicken producers have complained that imports labelled as spent fowl, which are exempt from duty, are actually broiler chickens that compete with Canadian product.
In 2012, spent fowl imports from the United States were actually greater than that country’s production which, Chicken Farmers of Canada has pointed out, is impossible.
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The Canada Border Service Agency earlier this year suspended the import licences of five companies found to be in contravention of the program. All were importing broiler chickens, an agency spokesperson said. She declined to say who the importers were or what penalties were assessed against them.
The CFC said consultations should result in better implementation of border rules.
“Our farmers and processors have been afflicted by leakages in the market that have been occurring for many years now, meaning they face uncertainty in their own production, and consumers face uncertainty in the safety of their food,” said chair Dave Janzen.
The government said it is exploring better inventory reporting with those who use the Duty Relief Program to better improve import predictability.
It is also looking at certification requirements for spent fowl imports and assessing the use of a DNA test to screen imports at the border.
The CFC said the DNA test, developed at Trent University, can detect the difference between spent fowl and broiler meat and must be implemented at the border.
