Provincial inspectors would still oversee processing but more emphasis would be put on animal welfare
Alberta farmers have done such a good job raising healthy animals that the provincial government is considering changes to the way it inspects poultry.
Inspectors looked for diseased animals when the provincial meat inspection system was developed in 1972.
Now, less than one percent of inspected poultry is condemned, and officials believe the system needs to change to reflect farmers’ good practices.
“People didn’t have the great on-farm, food safety programs they have now. There was just a lot more disease,” said Darlene Dittrich, director of Alberta Agriculture’s meat inspection branch.
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Instead, inspectors will now focus on finding ways to reduce food-borne pathogens at the plant.
“The inspection process will change to adapt to our evolving understanding of the risks of food borne pathogens,” said a paper sent to Alberta’s 64 provincial poultry slaughter plants.
Inspectors now stand at the end of the line looking for visual defects, even though the biggest food safety concern is pathogens, which are invisible to the naked eye.
“If they’re stuck on the line in one place, they’re very limited in what they can do,” Dittrich said.
“We think because we are condemning so few birds right now that maybe that’s not the best place for our inspectors to be. We think it will be more valuable to focus on other areas of the operation.”
She said changing the poultry inspection system would allow inspectors to focus on detecting unseen pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria.
“The more we understand bacteria, the better we can find ways to develop programs to control them,” she said.
“If we find there is bacteria on the bird, then we know that is a better indication of food safety. It is really a true test of how well they’re doing.”
Phillip Wurz with the Morinville Colony said he looks forward to changes to the poultry inspection system. The Hutterite colony butchers 2,500 chickens a week.
“We know what to look for. We know what a healthy bird is or not,” said Wurz, who took part in a 2010 pilot project that tested poultry inspection changes.
“The high risk is what you don’t see.… If they’re swabbing for pathogens, then we know what we need to pay attention to. I’m game for it.”
Under the proposed changes, poultry plant workers would be trained to become “detectors” looking for diseased or unhealthy birds. Trained provincial government inspectors would still be in the plant during processing but would focus on animal welfare and other ways the operation could improve food safety.
“What we want to see coming out of our plant is fit and healthy birds,” said Wurz.
“An inspector has only one set of eyes. I have eight or 10 people on the kill line. The inspector is only allowed to stand in one spot. Now they can go and see everything.… That is the way it should be.”
Mike Hofer of Plain Lake Colony at Two Hills, Alta., said he believes the proposed changes are a good idea. The entire crew on a processing line will be inspecting the poultry instead of just one inspector.
“We have 10 people looking at the chicken before the inspector. Sometimes we throw away more than the inspector,” said Hofer, who processes birds every couple months.
“It’s our product. If you sell one bad one, that isn’t good. Bad news travels faster than good news.”
Dittrich said the government is moving slowly because of the difference in worker experience and facilities across the province.
It will relaunch a pilot project to gather more data to ensure new rules can respond to the variety in each facility.
“We want to gather some data and evidence and make science based decisions.”
Jonathon Kielstra with Mountain View Poultry said he looks forward to the changes.
“I think it’s a good thing. It puts a little more responsibility in our hands. The world keeps evolving.”
