Value Chain Meeting January 15, 2014 Plaza Hotel, Kamloops BC, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

PowerPoint Presentations are posted at

8:40Welcome & Introductions – Gillian Watt, Programs Manager

8:50Presentation: BC Beef Quality Information System – Jarrod Goddard, Owen Marshall

  • Joint project: BC Association of Abattoirs & Cattlemen’s Association
  • Funding provided by Investment Agriculture Foundation, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and Net Shift Media
  • 2-way communication for producers and abattoirs to work closely tracking and grading of beef
  • iPad App syncs system - iPad setup offline in plant then synced with system after info is entered; wall unit for iPads for kill room floor
  • demonstration of system for abattoirs, producers and retailers and chefs = Carcass Quality Evaluation System
  • carcass score formula developed – numeric producers score and alpha consumer score
  • Lean meat yield, muscling, marbling, fat colour, meat colour = producer score/consumer score
  • Review of Carcass Scoring Calculator – manuals and rulers for abattoirs to take home
  • Opportunity to purchase ads on website - various formats available; can integrate sponsor recognition of funding w/logos – GW to check with Govt Comm
  • Coming soon – Integration with BCBeefNetwork; then lamb, pork, poultry
  • Proposed Budget for 2014:

  • Producer training sessions underway Feb – April w/GW; user supportprovided by Jarrod
  • Funders Thank you – substantial cost for development and implementation of program
  • presentation of grader training certificates to abattoirs who have completed training to date Dave Fernie and Ron Keely.

Presentation: Auditing of Traceability System – Caitlin Dobson, BC Association of Abattoirs

  • Need to have BC BQIS audited so we can be assured the system is working
  • Overview of auditing system, policies and procedures manual supplied
  • Roles for each segment of the value chain
  • Retail/foodservice and abattoir samples from corresponding shipment will be obtained and shipped for DNA analysis; both sets of samples will then be paired for matching DNA confirmation
  • Already built into system so not cumbersome for abattoirs. Only extra duty is the ear sample. Cost of DNA sample approx. $100; reduced as participation in program increases - funding application to cover costs during the pilot year.
  • CD will visit restaurant or retailer and take sample of meat plus shipping record slip; send off to lab for DNA analysis; review processes and documentation
  • Value added system – important consumers know
  • From farm to abattoir to retail outlet
  • As program grows – p/t auditor in each region

10:00 Break-out Sessions

Pamella Ishy, Orchestrate Tech. - BC Beef Network Learning Session for Producers

  • Demonstration of system for producers, chefs
  • Roles, responsibilities of producers to make system run smoothly
  • Producerassistance – reviewing their profiles, entering their availability dates, accepting orders etc. for pilot program launch, Jan 21, 2014.

Lorie Hrycuik, BC Ministry of Agriculture

  • BC Meat Inspection System – program update, next steps to implement an auditing system for food safety plans
  • Feb 22, 2013 Govt announced 3 things:
  1. Transition CFIA out and put provincial in
  2. Focus on food safety
  3. Audit
  • Joint responsibility of Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Health – not single oversight as Abattoirs are lobbying for
  • Big pic of what we’re doing to create seamless system = training of 29 permanent staff completed; 20 auxiliaries
  • Goal – to create consistency across province; ensure staff was really knowledgeable to be able to work in partnership with abattoir;Collaborative approach – work with you to get to compliance.
  • Inspectors consistency – creates equity, transparency, good communication - achieved this – all regularly inspected plants have inspector, met their supervisors; shift scheds have been negotiated
  • Developed directives for the inspectors that are intended to drive consistency; printed out and available for all of abattoirs to see in plants; clear on inspectors roles and responsibilities - new directives as things come up; Inspectors will be sharing them soon
  • Disposition manuals – red meat/poultry; Disease/condition of animals – disposition = how you would treat a carcass; enables inspectors to make disposition decisions quickly = Consistency, efficiency, iPhones provide access to info –– technical expertise and knowledge – good communication
  • CFIA will always be permitting role – work in partnership with them - all federal responsibilities for SRMs, animal transportation, CCMs – province will monitor SRM removal and ensure it gets done appropriately but = federal responsibility; working to figure out working relationship
  • Going to be developing audit program,Implement meat inspection program and audit it on a regular basis
  • Will be hiring 2 key people: Operations Manager and Audit Program Manager, Food Safety & Inspection Branch
  • Also hiring enforcement officer –to take a look at illegal slaughter and develop a program, how it’s managed from provincial perspective – next month or so = focus
  • Health Min (Interior Health) will still be responsible for enforcement
  • Survey in next while about how system working and cost recovery = future goal; Cabinet gave direction – we need to explore cost recovery; ensure questions are clear – open ended so abattoirs will be able to explain reasoning
  • Environmental Technical Officer ETO component – officers important to public safety – have ability to manage schedule up to 70 hrs but not that straight forward – ability to flex schedules but abattoirs work full out so ETO component doesn’t help; will work with abattoirs to get there to meet this challenge; ultimate goal is not to compromise public safety; need to get safe, high quality meats into the marketplace
  • Abattoirs have strongly asked for meat inspection in our plants and want it 3rd party. Cost recovery is not clean break – we are paying inspectors = Ministers decision but Abattoirs will have a voice
  • Health wanted to maintain meat inspection;2 agencies to work with – 2 sets of rules; in meantime need some sort of system in place
  • Min of Health looks after food premise regulation – spotty performance
  • Meat enforcement regulation needs more teeth – in beginning phases of developing something that is going to be successful
  • Class A facilities – protocols will be in place – system is coming from Health side
  • Talking with counterpart in Min of Health next week; having conversation to talk about how meat inspection program is rolling out and how we’re going to be working together; trying to plug gaps
  • Abattoirs need to get Health at the table – next time you need to have them here so you can ask them that questions they have control over = their resources
  • System is broken – big hole in the middle; 2 different organizations with 2 different standards is a challenge but we’re working on that to make it seamless; Goal is to get us in sync so you see consistency in standards
  • Identifying gap and making recommendation for what is best for the industry; Class A operators recognize its not adequate – identified gap – see challenge in the system, state it and offer a solution – Action = DRAFT LETTER
  • Province could do audit of whole facility and audit everything; that is intention; negotiating with Health on this – maybe joint so health could enforce
  • Audit system needs lead time – won’t see it this year. Timeline Fall 2015 for audit program realistically; diversity and types of facilities across province recognize the unique structures and how facilities operate – needs to be flexible and achieve our goals
  • Abattoirs keen to put the best quality product in the marketplace; food safety plans are in place, improving and changing we will keep this goal and assurance that our plants meet this goal; lack of inspections – inconsistent inspections Laurie will bring this concern to them when she meets with Health next week
  • Food safety program, but it’d be really great if we have a 3rd party auditing system to assure our retailers – consumer confidence, need to continue to build on the success we’ve achieved on slaughter side to build the program
  • We want an auditing system but concerned about the cost of the audit – committee to help steer that; contract accredited auditors – possible? Challenges with contractors: Who develops accreditation program for contractors – certified auditor; contractors first to be cut in budgets – lack of consistency
  • Congratulations to Lorie on her permanent position with Ministry of Agriculture, rolling out smooth transition
  • So much of what Abattoirs asked for has gone into the process, our recommendations, in the OperationsManual – cooperation was key

Lunch 12:00-1:00Guest Speaker, Laura Kalina, RD and author - Healthy lifestyle recipes featured on our bcmeats website

1:00 Quality Standards and Trademarking the Brand– Edwin Marks, Fulton and Co. LLPIntroduction to the Trademarking Process for brand certifications

  • Discussion onQuality Standards for Certification Trademarking

(Panel: Edwin Marks, Bill Freding, Mike Noullet, Rob Hunt)

  • Gillian Watt – revised licensing process for chefs and stores.

2:00 B.C. Beef Net – Abattoirs Learning Session with Pamella Ishy, Orchestrate

  • Demonstration of system for abattoirs and their roles/responsibilities in

making the system work smoothly

  • Confirm kill dates with partner producers as early as possible
  • How to obtain their cutting instructions and input the actual primal weights once processed.
  • Gillian - (needs to add to each profile approx. shipping price to target regions)

1-2:30 pm Poultry Abattoirs Meeting

Establish Quality standards for BC Premium Poultry brand

  • Goal to create Premium Poultry brand =Promote BC Grown chicken
  • Certified BC Beef model; how do we know its BC product – must be verifiable
  • Supporting BC communities and a sustainable industry
  • Supply manage how its produced; Market access
  • BC Chicken Marketing Board has committed some resources towards marketing of chicken; want to see more chicken consumed by British Columbians
  • Cheryl Davie, BC Chicken Marketing Board, interested in working together with Abattoirs but other initiatives happening: Buy Local Eat Natural, We heart Local – BC Dairy; come in a long side these initiatives = opportunity
  • Important: What are standards going to be? What does BC mean?What is important to us?
  • Definition of BC Chicken: Day old chick (when we get them) from that point on; Raising – spend their lives in BC, grown in BC;Housing /Feeding – freedom to roam (recognize the Marketing Board has min standard – will meet or exceed this standard), adequate feed, 100% access to water, proper heat/ventilation
  • Government accredited mill - Milled and manufactured in BC – speaks to supporting a sustainable industry (ingredients don’t need to be BC produced)
  • All chicken is Hormone-free as regulated in Canada since 1961 – see Marketing Board statement
  • Slaughter and processing – BC licensed plant only
  • Vaccination – leave it out; too controversial and diverse approach to issue

3:00 pm BC Association of Abattors Directors Meeting

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