Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to present to you today the views of the Canadian Pork Council on food safety issues.
The production of safe food is of primary concern to all involved in the agrifood industry. Canadian hog producers see the implementation and demonstration of production practices that address food safety at the farm level as central to their business activities.
Beginning in 1995, the Canadian Pork Council assembled a team of food safety and production experts to develop a system that would be used by primary producers to evaluate, document, and have their production practices verified to demonstrate due diligence in their activities. When the program was launched in 1998, the hog industry was about to face a crash in the price of hogs, and producers questioned the necessity of implementing a program that reflected practices that were largely already in place. The answer then, as now, is that the program allows producers to demonstrate what they are doing.
The CQA program introduced the HACCP approach on the farm. At the time, HACCP was being widely adopted by the processing industry but was new to the farm sector. Since that time, 19 commodity groups, including the CPC, have agreed to create HACCP-based on-farm food safety programs. Simply put, we are HACCP-based rather than pure HACCP, because the risk analysis that is conducted is done at the national level and translated into materials for producers to use on the farm, rather than having each production unit develop its own HACCP model.
Participating production units are enrolled through the provincial hog boards and implement the program as it is laid out in the program materials. To gain and maintain recognition on the program, a production unit must undergo an annual validation, essentially an audit, to ensure that all CQA requirements are being met. These requirements address potential chemical, physical, and biological hazards that may be introduced to the pig during production. Hazards such as drug residues, broken needles, and bacterial contaminants are controlled on the farm through the implementation of strict protocols related to the use of medications, whether these are administered directly to the pig or delivered through feed or water; the storage, mixing, handling, and delivery of feed; barn sanitation and bio-security, including rodent control; and staff training. Bio-security will also be addressed through the newly created Canadian Swine Health Board, ensuring that hog producers have the latest information and approaches to minimize disease risks.
The success of the CQA program tells the story. There are approximately 7,000 production units, representing over 70% of total Canadian production and over 90% of hogs slaughtered in Canada. Almost all federally inspected packing plants and many provincially inspected plants have made CQA recognition a condition of sale. That is, producers can sell to these plants only if they are on the program.
The program provides assurances to customers and consumers that Canadian hog producers are committed to doing all they can at the farm to control potential food safety hazards. With pork exports to over 100 countries valued at $2.7 billion in 2008, providing these assurances is critical.
Although in its 11th year, the CQA program continues to evolve. Administrative and technical committees conduct ongoing work to ensure that the CQA program maintains currency in scientific understanding, production practices, and legislative developments.
With the program structure in place, we are now able to add new elements. Animal care has been identified as an important public concern. In consideration of that, an animal care program was introduced in 2005. While participation in this element is still growing, the CQA program and structure have made launching this initiative a smoother undertaking.
Additionally, new activities for access to specific export markets are also easier to implement. For example, a protocol for Paylean-free pork exports to certain countries has been developed, and we are looking at other possible initiatives.
The existence of a solid national on-farm food safety program is critical. It means that one standard is set for food safety, preventing a proliferation of company-specific or province-specific initiatives. While on-farm food safety programs are industry driven, government involvement is key. The collaboration of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the development of the programs and the recognition process is essential in providing credibility to customers of Canadian pork.
It can also be argued that government funding to help in the ongoing maintenance of these programs is important. Funding has been available for development and implementation, but not for ongoing program maintenance. Producers bear the cost of implementing these programs; there is no premium available to them. While these programs offer a benefit to the industry and a public good, they essentially add to the cost of production for our producers.
Funding for food safety research and the role of on-farm controls is also required.
Government commitment to on-farm food safety also needs to be in the domain of an efficient and streamlined regulatory system. Hog producers have been unable to access new veterinary products in as timely a fashion as producers in other countries. Despite the continual examination and review of Canada's drug licensing system, Canadian producers remain at a disadvantage. We recognize that Canada is a small market for veterinary products, but our sector is competing in the global market. It is critical that our regulatory system be the most competitive possible.
We cannot appear here today without mentioning the financial crisis facing Canadian hog farmers. Our industry has been a solid contributor to the Canadian economy, yet it has been faced with severe market shocks over the past three years, the most recent being the H1N1 influenza A, unfortunately known more commonly as swine flu.
Surveys conducted in the aftermath of H1N1 show that while most Canadian consumers remain confident about the safety of pork, fully 8% of those surveyed believed it was possible to get H1N1 from eating properly cooked pork. In addition, while 90% of consumers will not change their pork consumption as a result of H1N1, or will eat more pork, 10% are eating less pork. Some of this is likely to be permanent. These are serious impacts on consumers as a result of a virus that has nothing to do with food safety. This has impacted hog producers at a time when they can ill afford any more shocks.
Farmers are doing their part and will continue to do their part to produce safe food. Governments need to support these efforts and to ensure producers can operate in the most competitive environment possible.
Thank you.