22 SLAUGHTER capacity


have a capacity problem during the fall run in October and November when a lot of the beef and game is getting processed,” she says. “We have the capacity to kill animals. We may have a lack of cooler space to hang carcasses, and we certainly do have a labour shortage to staff the cut and wrap process.” Kamloops mayor Ken Christian is a director with the TNRD and previously spent 37 years in public health, ending his career as regional director, health protection, for the Interior Health Authority. Christian doesn’t think


more D-class licences would be a problem. “I don’t think constituents


are very aware of the lower level of inspection for D and E licences,” says Christian. “There is an assumption that every piece of meat that shows up on your plate in a restaurant is inspected and that is a naive and impossible assumption.” And that’s likely to remain the


norm.


“I think that random testing and random inspection of slaughterhouse floors is probably the best that you will ever get,” he says. However, he says better follow-up is needed when complaints arise to maintain public confidence in meat when food-borne illnesses occur. The current process is complaint-driven,


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • SEPTEMBER 2019 nfrom page 21


federal system, you have that potential,” he says. “I don’t think there is going to be a whole lot of difference.” This doesn’t sit well with


Woodbury, who believes government is missing the point by considering more D-class licences. “There is no reason to


increase uninspected meat in this province," she says. “Third-party oversight assures the consumer that food safety and animal welfare concerns are being addressed.” Smith says her association


isn’t opposed to inspections. She would like to see slaughter capacity in small communities, reducing travel time for animals even if it increases it for inspectors. “Wouldn’t it be easier to


LINDSAY BARTKO FILE PHOTO


and regulators need to make sure complaints are adequately addressed. “If they did that better, then I think


you would be able to nip these things in the bud,” he says. Christian says staff did annual visits to licensed plants along with following up every complaint when he was with IHA. A key area for concern, Christian


says, are farmers’ markets, such as the one in Kamloops.


“It is more or less an extension of farmgate sales, and that is something that people turn a relatively blind eye, too,” he says.


The risk that worries him is a food-


safety incident at a local market which could jeopardize the reputation of the entire meat industry. However, he doesn’t think the risk is any greater at uninspected plants than government- inspected plants. “Quite frankly, even with the


say that the second and third Tuesday of the month are kill days in Merritt and they send an inspector to the Nicola Valley?” she asks. “Wouldn’t that be easier than having all


of us haul our animals all over the place?” But it’s a tough discussion to have, especially with governments throwing their support behind plant-based diets. “I worry that meat is not a very politically popular topic right now,” she says. “Nobody wants to talk about killing animals, but that’s what we need to talk about.”


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