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Ranchers.net

Monday, November 5, 2007, 6:28 AM

by Peter Shinn

USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond announced Saturday that USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will increase testing requirements for meat and poultry imports from Canada effective immediately. Moreover, Raymond said USDA was conducting a broad review of the entire Canadian food safety and inspection system.

"Effective next week, FSIS will increase testing for Salmonella, Listeria Monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 and will require that shipments be held until testing is complete and products are confirmed negative for these pathogens," Raymond said in a statement. "In addition, Canadian meat and poultry products will receive increased levels of re-inspection by FSIS to confirm they are eligible to enter commerce when presented at the U.S. border."

The move comes after an e-coli O157:H7 outbreak that caused dozens of illnesses in eight states in recent weeks, resulting in one of the largest ground beef recalls in American history and driving under New Jersey-based Topps Meat Company, a firm with no previous recalls that had been in business for more than 60 years. But Topps wasn’t the source of the e-coli. It was a Canadian firm called Ranchers Beef Ltd. that sold Topps beef trimmings to make hamburger. And Raymond suggested USDA's investigation of Canada's food safety system would center on that now-defunct Canadian company.

"FSIS will also immediately begin an audit of the Canadian food safety system that will focus on Ranchers Beef, Ltd. and will include other similar establishments that export beef to the U.S.," Raymond added in the statement.

A top Canadian meat industry official reacted with dismay to Saturday's announcement. Canada Beef Export Federation President Ted Haney told the Toronto Globe and Mail the new U.S. testing policy amounts to "a disruption of trade, a disruption of price and a disruption of production" that "simply can't be justified."

Haney noted that USDA made the decision to impose tougher testing on Canadian meat "without consultation" on a unilateral basis. And he said doing so likely violated existing treaty obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization.

Raymond described the new testing requirements as "interim" measures. He indicated the new rules could be lifted after USDA completes its audit of Canada's food safety and inspection system.
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