TORONTO -- Federal veterinarians say poultry destined for Canadian dinner tables will pose a greater public health risk under new rules that allow slaughterhouses to inspect themselves.
The complaint is outlined in a legal action filed by federal veterinarians against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Under proposed changes to the country's inspection system dubbed the "poultry rejection program," slaughterhouse workers will become responsible for food safety monitoring duties now carried out by independent veterinarians employed by the CFIA.
The legal action seeks to halt the protocol changes from taking place.
A notice of application filed in Federal Court in Ottawa by the Professional Institute of the Public Service says it is "contrary to the public interest" to replace qualified independent veterinarians with unqualified people who are "not subject to public scrutiny."
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The veterinarians' union has until the end of the month to file affidavits supporting its application, and the CFIA then will have 30 days to file its response in court.
"For slaughterhouse operators to watch for red spots or anything of the kind (on poultry carcasses) could have more serious ramifications than just the carcass in front of them," says Michele Demers, president of the union representing 611 federal veterinarians.
"It could be communicable disease. It could be that a whole batch of poultry needs to be rejected. It could have all kinds of things that a slaughterhouse operator doesn't have the expertise to make a judgment on. There's a reason why veterinary doctors have been given that role."
The change in inspection protocol is part of a larger move toward greater industry oversight of meat production in Canada. The CFIA has been moving toward a more deregulated inspection system in the past few years including less hands-on inspection by federal inspectors.
