Entering Canada as unregulated spent fowl Improperly labelled chicken from United States could be finding its way onto store shelves
HALIFAX, N.S. — Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz has promised to organize a cross-government response to growing evidence that chicken from the United States is fraudulently entering Canada labelled as unregulated spent fowl.
There is also evidence that meat from spent fowl that should be used in processed food is finding its way onto store shelves as purported fresh young chicken.
Spent hens are old hens at the end of their laying cycle.
Chicken Farmers of Canada leaders told Ritz during a meeting July 17 that a recent surge in imports displaces more than 10 percent of Canadian chicken production at a cost of more than $500 million to the industry.
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Spent fowl imports are up another 15 percent this year after a 28 percent surge in imports last year.
In an interview during the federal-provincial agriculture ministers’ meeting July 18, Ritz said he heard the message and is concerned. However, it is a complicated government file because no single department or agency is responsible.
“It’s trade, finance, CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency), industry and agriculture, so basically five federal governments involved,” he said.
“I’m happy to quarterback it all. It’s been a concern for awhile, but not until we got last year’s numbers and started to see the volume and the value of this product coming in that is a trigger for me.”
Ritz said some importers are “perverting” the rules. “At the end of the day, we want to be sure that things are labelled correctly. We want to make sure that our trade rules are being adhered to properly.”
Supply management rules require chicken imports to be limited and closely controlled, but rules established in 1979 allowed unrestricted access for spent fowl.
The CFC says some importers have recently been including chicken parts normally not allowed as part of spent fowl import shipments.
“If it isn’t chicken crossing the border, why is it chicken in the grocery stores,” CFC chair David Janzen from British Columbia said he asked Ritz.
This year also produced evidence that some meat from old hens is going into chicken products that consumers believe are made from young Canadian birds.
In small print in some store advertisements for chicken burgers is an allergy warning: “May contain eggs.”
CFC executive director Mike Dungate said it is clear evidence of misuse of spent hen meat, passing it off as fresh chicken.
“If it really is what it is supposed to be, there would be no chance of possible egg content because birds used for fresh chicken are slaughtered long before they are able to produce eggs,” he said.
