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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

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1. PURPOSE OF THE MANUAL

The purpose of the Fish Products Inspection Manual is to provide Inspectors with the policies and procedures to be employed when applying the Fish Inspection Regulations and other related regulations governing the inspection of fish and fish products. It will contribute to the uniformity of interpretation and consistency in the application of regulations. The manual provides more detail than is possible in regulations, but does not by itself have any legal standing.

This manual is not intended to be all inclusive. It is to be used in conjunction with other appropriate source material to provide the interpretation tools required by inspectors in the inspection of fish and fish products. It is meant to be a reference source and not a training manual.

This manual does not contain the official grade standards described for various fish products nor the policies or procedures governing facility inspections. These topics are addressed in the Product Standards Manual and the Facilities Inspection Manual respectively.

2. DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The policies and procedures in this manual have been developed using the process established for the development and approval of policies, standards and procedures for the National Fish Inspection Program.

The Process:

(1) Staff in the Regions and at Headquarters involved in the formulation of proposed policies, standards and procedures will forward these to Planning, Coordination and Review (PCR) Branch at Headquarters for inclusion in appropriate Inspection manuals.

(2) The first draft is distributed by PCR to Regional and Headquarters Directors of Inspection for review and comment within three weeks of receipt.

(3) PCR will forward comments to the originator or to Headquarters as appropriate. If comments are:

(a) editorial only, then the necessary adjustments will be made by PCR staff who will forward the document to Directives Management for finalization (see step 7);

(b) substantive, a second draft will be prepared and returned to PCR.

(4) If a second draft is prepared (or if revisions are made as a result of the Seafood Inspection Policy Advisory Committee (SIPAC) input at any stage) the document will be distributed by PCR to Regional and Headquarters Directors of Inspection for review and comment within three weeks of receipt.

(5) After review, if there are:

(a) no disputes, then PCR will send the document to Directives Management for finalization;

(b) disputes, PCR will identify the nature of the problem and forward to the Director General, Inspection Services Directorate, with copies to all Directors of Inspection.

(6) The Director General will render a decision on any disputes within two weeks of receipt. The document will be revised accordingly by PCR and forwarded to Directives Management for finalization.

(7) Directives Management edits the finalized document, arranges for translation and forwards the material to offices of collateral responsibility (eg. Legal Services, Official Languages, Internal Audit) for review and approval.

(8) The document or section is then forwarded for sign-off by the appropriate authority, printed and distributed to manual holders via the Directives Management group.

3. ORGANIZATION OF THE MANUAL

The Fish Products Inspection Manual - Policies and Procedures is divided into chapters of related inspection elements which are further sub-divided into subjects.

As a general rule, each subject contains a number of standard headings. When the nature of the subject does not lend itself to the standard format, other appropriate headings are used.

Scope:

Describes the subject to be covered and identifies any exclusions. It also makes reference to other subjects and chapters within the manual and other related manuals.

Authorities:

Identifies all sections under the Fish Inspection Act and Regulations and other relevant regulations, that must be enforced in order to achieve the objectives of the section.

Policy:

Provides direction regarding the application of the regulation pertinent to the section.

Procedures:

Provides the step-by-step process to be followed when applying the regulations pertinent to this subject.

Forms/Documents:

Provides a list of all forms and documents that are completed when following the procedures.

A Table of Contents is included in the Manual, listing the chapter and section titles. A cross-reference of regulations is also included.

4. DISTRIBUTION OF THE MANUAL

The Manual is to be distributed to all inspectors, district/area supervisors, and regional and Headquarters Inspection personnel involved in the inspection of fish and fish products. Other members of the Department may request a copy of the manual and it will also be provided to industry on request. A fee will be levied for industry copies.

All manuals are serially numbered, and registered to a position, as assigned on a master distribution list.

The Director of Planning, Coordination and Review is responsible for establishing the distribution requirements and ensuring that an effective distribution list is maintained.

Directives Management, Administrative Operations Division, is responsible for:

(a) developing a master distribution list that meets the requirements of the Director, Planning, Coordination and Review;

(b) controlling the distribution of manuals and amendments;

(c) keeping the master distribution list up to date; and

(d) maintaining an appropriate quantity of manuals and amendments in reserve for additional distribution when required.

All changes or additions to the distribution list should be forwarded to Manuals Production and Distribution, Directives Management.

A revised Registration Card/Notice of Change is then prepared by Directives Management and sent to the holder for inclusion in the Manual.

The Notice of Change is used to keep the master distribution list up to date. It is important that manual holders provide current registration information to ensure delivery of amendments to the correct location.

5. THE AMENDMENT PROCESS

Suggestions and requests for change/improvements to the Manual can be made by anyone within the department. However, before any amendments to the Manual are made they must undergo the development process described earlier in this chapter and the Director General, Inspection Services Directorate must approve all changes.

Once amendments have been accepted, their production and distribution are the responsibility of Directives Management.

The manual holders are responsible for keeping the manual up to date. Amendments should be inserted as soon as they are received.

A Record of Amendments page is provided in the Manual for recording the insertion of the amendment.

6. THE BULLETIN PROCESS

Bulletins are used for communicating information of an urgent nature that cannot be delayed until the next amendment.

A bulletin may also be used to issue information of a temporary nature that will not be incorporated into the Manual.

When required, Planning, Coordination and Review will initiate action to amend the Manual at the earliest opportunity after a bulletin has been issued.

Bulletins are numbered sequentially and are filed in numerical order in the section provided in the Manual. Upon receipt of a bulletin, manual holders should make a note of it on the first page of any subject affected by the bulletin, thus alerting the reader to the existence of other information pertinent to that subject.

Bulletins are distributed to manual holders through Directives Management.