meat industry
Ministry of Agriculture releases intentions paper for changes to meat processing in rural B.C.
Sep 15, 2020 | 5:30 AM
VICTORIA—The Ministry of Agriculture has released an intentions paper with suggested policy changes to meat processing in rural areas of the province.
A release by the Ministry of Agriculture says that the changes prioritize food safety and animal welfare, while increasing economic opportunities and help strengthen B.C.’s food system.
Some of the policy changes include:
- increasing the amount of meat that can be processed annually by Class D and E licence holders, and expanding the criteria of who and where their meat can be sold to;
- developing alternative models of licensing mobile abattoirs to improve service for smaller-scale producers;
- exploring a pilot program for conducting certain inspection components virtually; and
- renaming the current “Class A, B, D and E licenses” to more intuitive categories.