| | Purpose | Animals slaughtered at an abattoir | Inspected versus uninspected meat | Animals slaughtered on-farm | Processing of meat
One of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development's (ARD) goals is the continued excellence in food safety. This goal recognizes that a reputation for excellence in food safety is essential for maintaining consumer confidence and expanding markets, both domestic and international. ARD promotes this vision through the development and administration of food safety legislation and policy. This web page provides a brief overview of the Meat Inspection Act and Meat Inspection Regulation. Please consult the text of the legislation and/or ARD for additional information.
Purpose
The Meat Inspection Act and Meat Inspection Regulation provide for the licensing of abattoirs and the inspection of meat and meat products. This legislation ensures that Albertans are provided with safe, wholesome meat and meat products.
Animals Slaughtered at an Abattoir
An abattoir is a facility where animals are slaughtered. Slaughter is undertaken for the purpose of processing meat from animals into food for human consumption. An abattoir may also cut, wrap, freeze, cure, smoke, or age meat.
The Meat Inspection Act (Alberta) provides for the inspection and licensing of abattoirs. ARD licenses abattoirs and inspects processes and products to ensure compliance with the legislation.
Inspection services are provided to provincial abattoirs by meat inspectors from the ARD's Regulatory Services Division. The meat inspector’s participation is necessary if the meat is to be marketed. In order to sell, offer for sale, transport or deliver meat to any person all of the following must occur:
- the animal must be inspected before slaughter (ante-mortem inspection),
- the slaughter must take place at a provincial abattoir or federal establishment,
- the animal must be inspected following slaughter (post-mortem inspection),
- the meat must be judged by an inspector to be healthy and fit for human consumption, and
- the meat must be stamped with an inspection legend or labelled appropriately.
A person cannot sell, barter, give away or otherwise transfer meat to another person (or even offer to do so) unless all of these conditions are met.
Inspected versus Uninspected Meat
Meat and meat products inspected under either the Meat Inspection Act (Canada) or the Meat Inspection Act (Alberta) may be sold in Alberta. Inspected meat is obtained from an animal that is slaughtered at a provincially-licensed or federally-registered facility. The animal is inspected both before and after slaughter, deemed fit for human consumption and an inspection legend is affixed. This meat can then be sold or given away.
Uninspected meat includes wild game and animals killed on the owner’s premises. Uninspected meat is only for the consumption of persons who form part of the animal owner’s household. Uninspected meat cannot be sold or given away to others.
The sale of uninspected meat is a serious offence. Under the Meat Inspection Act (Alberta), it is an offence to sell or offer for sale any meat or meat products, which have not been inspected either in a provincially-licensed abattoir or a federally-registered establishment. There are fines of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for any person who contravenes the provincial legislation.
Animals Slaughtered On-Farm
Animals killed on their producer’s own premises for consumption only by persons who form part of the animal owner’s household are exempt from the legislated inspection requirements. Wild game are similarly exempted from the legislation.
A mobile butcher is a provincially-licensed person who slaughters an owner's animal on the owner's premises. The same person must own the animal and the premises. A person selling a live animal cannot slaughter the animal on the seller’s property. The animal must be slaughtered and eviscerated on the animal owner's land. The carcass can then be transported from the owner’s land to the mobile butcher’s cut and wrap facility, providing the mobile butcher holds a permit issued by the Regional Health Authority. Alternatively, an abattoir can process the meat.
Whether a mobile butcher or an abattoir processes the meat, the previously detailed five conditions relating to meat inspection have not been met. Therefore, the meat from the animal is uninspected and cannot be marketed. The meat must be identified as "Uninspected - Not for Sale."
Uninspected meat can only be consumed by the owner of the animal or members of the immediate household (i.e., that person’s spouse, children, siblings and parents). It is unlawful to barter, give away or otherwise transfer uninspected meat to another person who is not a member of the immediate household.
Processing of Meat
An abattoir can handle both inspected and uninspected meat. Inspected meat is saleable and obtained from an animal that is inspected before slaughter, slaughtered at an abattoir, inspected after slaughter, deemed fit for human consumption, and stamped or labelled appropriately. Uninspected meat includes wild game and animals killed on the owner’s premises.
When animals slaughtered on-farm are brought into an abattoir for processing, the operator must tag the carcass "Uninspected" and note the owner’s name and address along with the date of slaughter. After the meat is processed, each item must be labelled "Uninspected - Not for Sale." A facility processing uninspected meat must post a sign stating: "The sale of uninspected meat is prohibited in Alberta. Uninspected meat is processed on these premises for the owner of the animal."
If you have questions or concerns regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the legislative provisions discussed in this web page, you may contact:
Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
Regulatory Services Division
2nd floor, 6903 - 116 Street
Edmonton, AB
T6H 5Z2
Telephone: 780-422-2104
Fax: 780-422-4513
A toll-free telephone number is available if you wish to report a concern relating to this legislation. ARD’s toll-free hotline telephone number is 1-866-252-6403. |
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