XL Foods plant gets green light to ship to U.S.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: December 14, 2012

Exporting again | Brooks, Alta., plant begins shipping product following the largest beef recall in Canadian history

The XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta., received clearance Dec. 7 to resume shipping product to the United States.

That is a relief to Canadian cattle producers and to JBS, the multinational packing company that is operating the plant and has an option to buy it and other XL Foods assets.

Exports from Alberta’s second largest meat processor were halted at the end of September when E. coli O157:H7 was found in its meat products.

At least 18 people were sickened from eating the meat, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency subsequently suspended the plant’s licence to operate.

Read Also

 clubroot

Going beyond “Resistant” on crop seed labels

Variety resistance is getting more specific on crop disease pathogens, but that information must be conveyed in a way that actually helps producers make rotation decisions.

That led to the largest beef recall in Canadian history, with thousands of products recalled in Canada and the U.S. and improvements required to the plant’s food safety systems.

Regular plant operations resumed in October and last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture re-listed the plant, indicating exports could resume immediately.

That means the plant has satisfied the USDA’s food safety and quality standards and product will be subject to routine sampling at the border.

Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Martin Unrau said producers welcomed the news.

“I think this is very positive and healthy, and I believe all the issues have been solved in a very positive manner and we’re moving forward.”

Unrau said little progress was being made on JBS’s purchase plan pending the reopening of U.S. markets to product from the Brooks plant.

“This will help them to bring some normalcy to that plant and really take a run at what they can do potentially, and do the cattle industry a lot of good.”

Alberta agriculture minister Verlyn Olson said the process of ensuring safe beef from the plant has been long and difficult.

“Once again, Alberta’s reputation for high quality, safe food products has been maintained and the re-opening of our largest trading partner is very good news for everyone involved,” said Olson.

Wildrose MLA Jason Hale, who represents the Brooks-Strathmore area where the plant is located, echoed those sentiments but added that he looks forward to a full investigation into the E. coli contamination and plant closure.

Alberta Beef Producers and the Western Stock Growers Association have also called for an investigation amid questions of how the recall was handled.

The CFIA said in a news release that it continues “enhanced oversight activities” at the plant to ensure implementation of long-term preventive measures against contamination.

Unrau said cattle prices are likely to rise now that the XL Foods plant can compete for cattle more fully with other processors.

About the author

Barb Glen

Barb Glen

Barb Glen is the livestock editor for The Western Producer and also manages the newsroom. She grew up in southern Alberta on a mixed-operation farm where her family raised cattle and produced grain.

explore

Stories from our other publications