Mr. Chair, honourable members, good morning.
Agri-Traçabilité Québec, a non-profit organization, was created on September 25, 2001, in order to develop and put in place a system for permanent identification and traceability of agricultural products in Quebec.
Building on the partnership between government and agricultural producers, the ATQ board of directors is made up of representatives from the Union des producteurs agricoles, MAPAQ and the Financière agricole du Québec.
The first traceability chain, from farm to slaughterhouse of international calibre was put in place in Quebec for the cattle sector in 2002, for the sheep sector in 2004 and in the deer sector at the beginning of this year. The three pillars on which the Quebec system is built are the identification of a product or animal a unique multi-sectoral data base and the follow-through on product movement, change of location. In Quebec, we chose to work with a single number for each animal and with RFID chips so as to have an automatic system and receive the data practically in real time in a central data base, and so as to distribute the information to the industry so that it can use it for its export markets.
We have also identified all the locations through which an animal can move during its lifetime so that every movement and change of location of an animal on the Quebec territory is registered in a multi-sectoral central data base.
If there was an epidemic in Quebec or a health crisis affecting more than one species and if several animal species were in contact with live animal markets, we could get the information quickly, map out the zone, stop the movement and thus quickly reduce the impact of a crisis on the Quebec territory.
In terms of other sectors already developing in Quebec, we have the pork sector, the poultry and table egg sector as well as livestock transportation, which is a crucial element of a traceability program, and there is also the horticultural sector. We are working in collaboration with representatives of the pork sector, and we should implement traceability in that sector by the end of this year. In the poultry and table egg sector, it will be done in early 2010.
Following the numerous crisis situations in animal health, consumers have become concerned about the quality and safety of food. In addition, global markets are opening up which makes traceability one of the important tools to allow the offer of products that stand out on a national scale as well as at the international level. I would like to emphasize that the Quebec system is built on the basis of the international standards established by the World Organization for Animal Health.
In addition to maintaining consumer confidence, an effective traceability system can prove to be an important tool in minimizing the impacts on the health of humans and animals in food safety crises. I would like to add that the Quebec system is mandatory and regulated by the province. It is the only mandatory traceability system in Canada. All producers and all stakeholders in the agrifood chain, such as shippers, livestock markets, agricultural fairs and slaughterhouses are under the obligation to transmit the information to a single data base, automatically and within a very short period of time.
The producer has to identify his animal during the seven days following its birth, he has to declare its origin, the date and place of its birth as well as its gender and location. As soon as this animal leaves the farm, all the information on its changing locations must be registered in the data base.
When we know the origin of an agricultural product or of an animal, as well as its itinerary and the contacts it has had with other animals or other products, we are able to ensure a quick response to problems and to make the needed recalls within a reasonable period of time.
Traceability is a tool that also allows for the verification of information relative to the origin of a product, and in a way such that consumers can be assured of the exact origin of a product or of an animal, and of the route that it will have taken all the way to the final point of consumption.
Having standards in terms of traceability for all agricultural products is essential in order for Quebec to continue to respond to the increasing demand for quality and safety from countries that import agrifood products from Quebec.
An effective traceability system can, without a doubt, contribute to the preservation of certain types of markets. In addition, it can help open up new ones thanks to the value-added component and quality assurance it brings to the table. For example, the fact of having access to the actual age of an animal or of knowing its precise place of birth, adds an element of transparency to the way things are done and preserves export markets. In addition, it underlines the efforts being made by different players in the agrifood chain to offer clear choices to consumers and products that respond to the highest standards for quality and safety.
Traceability should not, however, become a burden for producers and the other stakeholders in the agrifood sector, but an element that improves their competitiveness.
In closing, the story of a business in Quebec specializing in milk-fed veal—and I apologize for my colleagues in the steer sector—cannot be emphasized enough as it was able to successfully sign an exclusive deal for exports to Japan in 2005, even as the end of the mad cow crisis was far from apparent. By ensuring the complete traceability of its products, from the farm to the table, and above all else, having access via the Agri-Traçabilité Québec database to the birth dates of the animals, this business had a solid base from which it could build its export markets.
This concludes my statement. I am prepared to answer your questions. Thank you.