October 10, 2014
Canada to improve food safety through national database
Canada''s foodsafety and trade can be improved through a national database, said the country''s agriculture minister, Gerry Ritz.
The database is expected to be established by 2016, with plans to extract information from industry groups, including the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency and Agri-Tracabilite Quebec.
In addition, the federal government announced a CAD7.5 million (US$6.7 million) in implementing a centralised service.
"A lot of the industries have their own databases. There''s one in Quebec, there''s one for the rest of the country. This puts it all under one roof, one portal so it''s easier to access," Ritz said.
He underscored the urgency for such a system, pointing to the mad-cow disease crisis, the tainted beef recall in Alberta and a recent outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea in Manitoba, Ontario, and other provinces.
There is also a need to assure major trading partners such as Korea, Japan and the EU, that traceability is in place.
Upon completion, the database will contain a comprehensive list of livestock in the beef, dairy, pork, sheep, bison, goat, equine and poultry industries, said Terry Kremeniuk, chairman of the Canadian Agri-Traceability Services.
"(The database) will be invaluable in responding to unfortunate events such as a disease outbreak or national disaster," Kremeniuk added. "Quick responses to these events can help mitigate animal and market losses that can result in financial disasters for producers and the industry."