District farmers fuming over plant closure Thousands of dollars of meat is condemned

FORT FRANCES—The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has condemned all meat—inspected, wild game, and farmers’ meat—currently on the premises at Sunrise Meat and Sausage in Barwick after discovering uninspected meat there last week.
The Northwestern Health Unit had closed the facility last Wednesday (Nov. 1) because of this.
Owner Paul Peters explained during a hearing with OMAFRA on Monday morning that the meat owned by local farmers is uninspected, but the products he sells are inspected.
But OMAFRA spokesperson Brent Ross noted the regulation states no uninspected meat can enter the premises.
“It is illegal to have uninspected meat in Ontario,” he stressed in an interview Tuesday. “You can’t sell it and you can’t transport it.”
Peters said there had been an exemption in the area of this regulation in 2004 because of the absence of an abattoir, which is why his operation carried on.
But Ross countered there are never exceptions to the regulation, which is Regulation 31/05 of the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001.
“The way it works is farmers are allowed to slaughter and process their own animals, but they have to do it on their own premises and for their own personal consumption,” he remarked.
“They are not allowed to give it away or sell it, and they aren’t allowed to transport it to another location for processing,” Ross said. “For example, they can’t take it to a butcher to have it chopped up into steaks or what have you.”
He added the affected meat is set to be rendered tomorrow (Nov. 9).
“Basically it’s boiled down and destroyed—it can’t enter the food chain,” Ross stressed. “The issue was there was no way for us to tell whether the inspected and uninspected meat had, in fact, come into contact with each other.
“That’s why everything had to go because you just can’t take a chance with public safety.”
District farmers—outraged by the decision—were planning a meeting Wednesday night (Nov. 8) at 7 p.m. at the Barwick Hall regarding plans for a small demonstration on Thursday when the meat is expected to be picked up.
“We don’t want it to get out of hand,” noted producer Kim Jo Bliss, who says she stands to lose almost $4,000 worth of meat. “We just want to get our message out there. . . .
“We felt we were operating under what we were told we could operate under and [Peters] had no intention of selling the farmers’ meat,” she added.
“By condemning this meat, they make it sound like there is a problem with it and there isn’t,” Bliss stressed.
Peters, meanwhile, said this enforcement will greatly affect his business.
“About 85 percent of our business is doing cutting and wrapping for the farmers,” he noted. “It’s quite a big effect on the whole farming community and our business, as well.
“We have nine people here altogether working. I mean, that’s going to affect the whole job scene, too.
“It’s just not Susan and I—I have lots of employees, too.”
Peters said once all the meat is destroyed, they are planning on re-opening as soon as possible, which could be next week.
“We’re going to have to change our business plan and do other things in between,” he said. “And we’ll be doing wild game and inspected meat only.”
Ross explained wild game does not fall under the same regulations as domestic animals.
“Hunted wild game cannot be sold to the public. However, it can be brought into a licensed facility, so a free-standing meat processor, in otherwise a butcher or an abattoir for processing.
“But it has to be returned to the owner,” he noted.
“We won’t be able to do farmers’ meat unless [it’s] taken to an abattoir, a licensed slaughter facility, and butchered and brought back,” Peters said, adding this is the busy time of the year, too.
“It’s the fall, when a lot of people fill their freezers—it’s quite a blow to the district.”
He noted not everyone can take their animals up to the abattoir in Dryden and get them killed because of the feasibility.
“And I don’t know how they can throw all that good meat out,” he remarked, adding there are at least 20 different farmers with meat there.
“That’s a big loss. I don’t see how OMAFRA can just condemn the meat just like that.”
Peters hadn’t added up the dollar value which will be lost, but said the amount is “substantial.”
Ross noted 18 beef carcasses and five pork carcasses are to be rendered.
“Food safety is the top priority for the Ontario government, so that’s why the measures were taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sunrise Meat and Sausage is not the only facility in Rainy River District being targeted by OMAFRA. Greensides General Store in Devlin was scheduled for a hearing today (Nov. 8) on similar issues.
A press release issued by the Northwestern Health Unit last Thursday stated there have been no reported illnesses associated with consuming meat or meat products from this facility.
Still, the health unit wants to remind consumers to only purchase food products that have been inspected according to provincial or federal regulations.
(Fort Frances Times)