Agricultural Policy Framework:
Food Safety and Quality Chapter
Food Safety and Quality Transition
Program
(Transition Program)
Background
The Transition Program is a partnership between Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
(BCMAL) under the Agricultural Policy Framework. The $2.1
million program
facilitates the transition to a national food safety and quality
regime and enables strategic responses to critical issues.
This program takes a strategic approach to food safety and quality
and plant and animal health in British Columbia.
The Transition Program is guided by the Transition Program
Working Group and is administered by BCMAL. The Transition
Program undertakes projects identified in the Implementation
Strategy and does not accept applications. Some projects under
this program that have been completed or are underway are listed
below.
Transition Program Projects
Project:
Strategic Development of Baseline Information
Relevant science based information on enteric and other food
pathogens is critically required to guide food safety and quality
program and policy development in B.C.'s livestock, crop and food
industries as well as in the public sector.
This project is designed to develop a baseline of science based,
B.C. specific information which will serve as a reference for future
activities and evaluation.
The project will begin
with the “farm” and follow selected pathogens through the agri-food
continuum up to the slaughter-processing plant. An additional
component of this study will examine the antimicrobial resistance at
the farm and the environment levels. The project will also examine
the extent to which animal based pathogens affect the safety and
quality of ready-to-eat crops.
The resulting research will
provide the public and private sectors with a baseline on the
pathogens and antimicrobial resistance as a result of farm
practices. This research will enable government to develop
strategic policy and programs and to measure the success of the
programs in reducing the potential impact of these pathogens on
human, animal and plant health.
Partnerships in the form of
memorandums of understanding with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC),
Environment Canada (EC) and Health Canada (HC) will be negotiated to
leverage the program monies and potentially expand the scope.
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Project: Development of Critical Information Materials
B.C. agri-food industries have
a critical need for timely, relevant and accessible food safety and
quality and plant and animal health information to remain
competitive and to address current and future challenges.
This project will undertake
an extensive review and assessment of the information materials
currently available to industry in B.C., Canada, and other
jurisdictions to determine the need to acquire selected materials,
adopt or adapt these materials and to develop materials that are
specific to the B.C. industries’ needs. The primary outputs
will be electronic informational materials, training packages, and
materials in the languages of the B.C. agri-food industry; recognizing its
linguistic diversity.
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Project: Food Safety and Quality
Information Centre
Domestic and global markets
are demanding improvements to risk mitigation strategies to ensure
consumers continue to receive safe and high quality foods.
With this comes a greater need for the B.C. agri-food
industry to remain current on food quality and food
safety issues. Therefore, industry requires and will benefit from
having credible food quality and food safety information to assist
the industry make the transition to national and international
programs.
This project will identify
existing information sources, the needs for and the value of
a “Centre” for the collection and dissemination of food safety and
food quality related information. The project will provide
direction and options toward improving access to this information.
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Project: Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Nursery Certification Program
(Completed)
Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is
the most serious plant disease threat that B.C. has experienced. It
is caused by a fungus-like organism Phytophthora ramorum,
that infects many plant species and is the equivalent in impact to
Avian Influenza. At immediate risk is B.C.’s $170 million nursery
crop industry. Nursery buyers in the United States and eastern
Canada are requiring proof of SOD certification prior to confirming
orders with B.C. nurseries; U.S. exports are valued at $70 million
annually. Establishment of SOD in British Columbia could also
threaten raw log exports of Douglas Fir, and impact the forestry
seedling industry. Further, there is an unknown impact on B.C.’s
ecosystem, as native plants such as arbutus, oak, maple, and many
others are susceptible. SOD has killed tens of thousands of native
oak and tanoaks in California. Early detection through
certification and surveillance is essential to slow the impact of
this disease.
The project will develop and
implement a Phytophthora ramorum nursery certification
program for the B.C. industry that:
-
Enables SOD-certified
growers to confidently assure customers that all best management
practices have been applied and that stock has been tested and is
free of evidence of Phytophthora ramorum
-
Meets the standards for
Pest Free Place of Production of both the International Plant
Protection convention (IPPC) and the North American Plant
Protection Organization (NAPPO)
-
Provides growers with the
level of knowledge and follow-up to ensure a high level of
successful program implementation
-
Is ready to implement by
early October 2004 at the latest
-
Is sustainable once the
program components are developed
-
Provides sampling and
comprehensive testing of nursery material to meet U.S. market
requirements
This project is a joint initiative of the B.C.
Landscape and Nursery Association, Canadian Food Inspection Agency,
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Transition Program.
The initiative is
now complete.
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Project: Feasibility
Study for a Containment Level (CL) 3
Laboratory
Addition to the Animal Health Centre
(Completed)
Disease diagnosis and animal
health monitoring are essential to the competitiveness of B.C.’s agri-food
industry, as well as to the development of new industries such as
game and fish farming.
The B.C. Ministry of
Agriculture and Lands' Animal Health Centre played a key role in
assisting government and industry address issues arising from recent
animal health crises. This feasibility study laid the
foundation for how this facility can be improved to continue to
provide high quality animal health services to the B.C. industry.
This study determined the feasibility of building a CL3 Level
Laboratory as an addition to the BCMAL Animal Health Centre.
This laboratory will provide
B.C. with the capacity to establish new diagnostic tests to address
emerging disease problems in animals, poultry and fish and
subsequent risk mitigation strategies.
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Project: Canadian Poultry Industry Forum
(Completed)
The 2004 Avian Influenza
outbreak had a devastating impact on the B.C. poultry industry and a
significant impact on the Canadian poultry industry. As the virus
eradication phase of this outbreak ended, there was a need for all
partners in the Canadian poultry industry (industry and federal and
provincial governments) to come together to review and articulate
the lessons learned and develop strategies for moving forward.
This debriefing exercise was to enable more strategic and expedient
responses to mitigate future outbreaks.
This project provided
contribution to support the Canadian Poultry Industry Forum in 2004,
held in Abbotsford. This Forum was intended to bring both Canadian,
as well as B.C. industry leaders together to review the outbreak,
enhance bio-security protocols, enhance emergency management and
recommend strategies to mitigate future outbreaks and promote
industry/community recovery.
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Project: Food Safety and Quality Workshops
Food safety and quality
issues are rapidly evolving, and in order for the B.C. agri-food
industry to remain competitive, there is an increasing demand for
communication and strategic information about the emerging food
quality and food safety issues. In this context, B.C. needs a
forum which would bring industry leaders together with government
partners to dialogue, exchange information and provide guidance and
impetus for further action.
This project proposed two
workshops. The first workshop, held in November 2005, was
designed to exchange critical information and to improve
communication among members of the B.C. agri-food industry and key
government partners.
The second workshop
will provide the opportunity for industry and government to identify
and discuss food quality and food safety issues affecting the growth
and development of the B.C. agri-food industry.
The concept has been
endorsed by the B.C. Agriculture Council and the Council for Marketing
Boards and will be led by the B.C. Food Safety and Quality Working
Group (whose role is to advise on and influence food safety and
quality directions for B.C.).
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Project: Implementation of the B.C. Meat Industry Strategy
The B.C. meat industry is
facing very significant competitiveness challenges as a result of
recent BSE and Avian Influenza crises and the implementation of new
regulatory measures including the new meat inspection regulations
under the (B.C.) Food Safety Act. The B.C. industry is in the process
of developing and implementing a comprehensive Meat Industry
Enhancement Strategy (MIES).
This project will provide a
contribution to the MIES strategy and this contribution is intended
to support those actions that advance food safety within the B.C. meat
industry as it transitions to the new regulatory regime.
Specifically, the project will fund the salary and travel expenses
for a Meat Industry Coordinator who will be responsible for leading
and supporting industry in the adjustment that is required.
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Project: Traceability in B.C.
Traceability* systems enable industry and government to track and
trace food and non-food products throughout the chain. They are
platforms to support food safety and quality programs, pest, weed
and disease control of crops and livestock, public health
protection, consumer protection, and competitiveness of agri-food
businesses.
Plant and animal health and
food safety issues of the past few years have provided compelling
reasons for industry to strengthen its ability to trace products
throughout the chain. As well federal, provincial and territorial
governments via their commitment to the Agricultural Policy
Framework’s Food Safety and Food Quality Chapter have committed to
implement traceability systems.
This project is examining
the status of traceability systems in the B.C. agri-food industry. The results of the
research will assist industry and government to develop traceability
systems to meet stakeholder needs.
* Note:
Traceability is about the implementation of measures to ensure, at
any stage of the agri-food chain, that the path of an agri-food
product and the relevant information about it are known, including:
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Project: Plant Health Protection Strategy
(Completed)
Protecting plant health is key to the production
of safe, high quality B.C. crops, valued at over $1 billion annually.
Effective tools to manage insects, weeds and diseases boost
productivity, quality and market access. Additional benefits
of a sound plant health strategy include biodiversity protection
from invasive species and reduced pesticide usage through the
promotion of best management practices.
British Columbia has unique plant health
challenges in comparison to the rest of Canada. The wide
diversity of specialized crops, different climates, different pest
profiles and an appetite for alternate control measures means that
we need some "Made in B.C." answers to address some of our special
needs. New pests, new crops, new production methods and
changes in the availability of pest management tools create the need
for new answers. The application of results from research
projects, demonstrations and pilot projects developed in partnership
with industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada, consultants and other researchers have enhanced
B.C.’s capacity for production, enhanced environmental sustainability
and maintained market access.
The
project included applied research, demonstrations and pilot
projects to develop and deliver new information and mitigation
strategies to address critical plant health issues.
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Project: EatSmartBC
EastSmartBC is an initiative of the B.C. FOODSAFE
program. While FOODSAFE is safe food handler training for the
foodservices sector, EatSmartBC is a public campaign related to food
safety and healthy eating. Foodborne illness and
nutrition-related chronic diseases cause considerable human
suffering and result in substantial costs and losses to individuals,
families, employers and the health care system.
The goal of EatSmartBC is to help prevent
illness and improve the health of British Columbians through
combined food safety and healthy eating public communication and
education that is authoritative, motivating, practical, accessible
and effective. The objectives are to:
-
Increase awareness of food safety and healthy
eating
-
Increase food safety and healthy eating
knowledge and skills
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Improve food safety and healthy eating
attitudes and behaviours
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A partnership between:
B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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