PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The prospect of being forced to implement on-farm safety procedures isn’t sitting well with canola producers.
The issue was raised during the “hot topics” session at the Canola Council of Canada’s annual meeting.
Council president Barbara Isman asked delegates how they felt about impending on-farm Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, or HACCP, food safety audits, an issue that rankled Manitoba Canola Growers Association director Ed Rempel.
“What am I going to do on my farm to make safe canola unsafe?” said the exasperated farmer from Starbuck, Man.
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The chair of the session, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool vice-president of commercial relations Richard Wansbutter, said he empathized with Rempel, but added that like it or not, the world is demanding safer food and that means implementing new procedures all the way back to the farm.
“I really think it’s unavoidable.”
Ken Stone, an official with Cargill Ltd., agreed that it’s inevitable, citing a trade incident as proof of that assertion.
The Food and Drug Administration recently stopped a shipment of canola meal from Cargill’s Clavet, Sask., plant at the United States border for containing a BSE-type contaminant.
DNA testing later proved that a duck or pigeon feather had fallen into a load of canola causing the false positive reading.
It took three weeks to resolve the issue during which time 150 canola rail cars heading to the U.S. were delayed at the border.
Stone said the fact that one feather can halt 150 canola cars shows how serious buyers are about food safety. That’s why on-farm safety programs are going to become necessary.
John Serhienko, a director of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission, said producers are facing compliance issues on other fronts as well.
He said the “dramatic transition” to organic operations where he farms near Blaine Lake, Sask., presents new challenges for conventional farmers like himself because his neighbours require pesticide buffer zones.
“It affects my farm because I’m surrounded by organic farmers,” said Serhienko.
