Overview

If you intend to build a new meat plant or purchase an existing one and require an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) licence, contact the Meat Inspection Program area manager to obtain a licensing package.

Prior to licensing, plans and specifications related to the proposed meat plant plan must be submitted to the area manager. The submitted plans and specifications will be assessed by OMAFRA for compliance with the requirements of the Food Safety and Quality Act (FSQA) and the Ontario Regulation 31/05. To assist you with preparation of your plans and specifications, review the following listed factors which you should include on your plans.

Site planning

  • Provide the location of establishment in relation to other buildings and structures
  • Boundaries of the site/lot, coordinates

General drawing requirements

  • All rooms are identified, and dimensions specified – including live animal /office/welfare areas (such washrooms or changerooms)
  • Plans identify all Interior walls, partitions, door and doorway locations
  • Plans identify location of exterior doors, windows, and ramps
  • Temperature of refrigerated rooms are identified (in °C)
  • Lighting of all rooms identified in lux (as per Table in O. Reg. 1/05 s.17)
  • Layout and identification of all equipment on the floor
  • Location of water sanitizers and boot dips are identified
  • Location and height of rails (if applicable)
  • Location of equipment mounted on walls or ceilings (hoists, rails including hold rails and fixed lighting)
  • Heating ventilation and cooling systems are identified (heaters, refrigeration/evaporator units, exhaust air fans, supplied air inlets)

Flow diagrams

Legible drawings that illustrate directional flows for each of the following:

  • flows of edible meat and edible non-meat product(s) (raw and ready-to-eat)
  • flow of employee traffic patterns (raw and ready-to-eat)
  • flow of inedible material and garbage
  • flow of chemicals and packaging materials
  • air flow
  • live animal flow (abattoir facilities)

Water supply and drain layout

Plumbing diagram that illustrates potable and non-potable water lines in the facility, including:

  • location of water main entry into the plant
  • identification of hot and cold-water lines
  • hand wash sinks, processing sinks, knife sanitizers, hoses and others

Drainage diagrams that illustrate the layout of the drainage and sewage lines:

  • location and size of drain inlets
  • condensate drain lines
  • ground slope toward the drains
  • location of sewer exit from building
  • location of grease trap or interceptor
  • location of septic system and drainage bed (if applicable)
  • locations of water storage tanks (if applicable)
  • indicate whether water source is municipal or well water (if well water, indicate location)

Abattoir facilities

  • Live animal receiving areas are identified
  • Identify location of pens and crates for housing food animals are identified
  • Clearly identify location of ante-mortem inspection station
  • Identify location of ramps, gangway, chutes
  • Identify location of restraining box or cradle
  • Identify location of carcass dressing areas
  • Clearly identify post-mortem inspection station(s)
  • Identify location of carcass wash equipment and stations
  • Identify location of viscera truck or table (unless deemed unnecessary due to low volume by an inspector)
  • Identify location of veal weigh scale (if required)
  • Identify the change room that is exclusive to persons, other than an inspector, who work with food animals at the slaughter plant

Submitting your plans and specifications for inspection

The plans and specifications submitted must be legible and drawn to scale. You may also obtain a copy of the Technical Review Guidance Document from your area manager if you need more information on the assessment conducted by OMAFRA.

If the plans and specifications are deemed to comply with the requirements, the area manager will provide an “Appears to Meet” (ATM) letter. If during the construction phase you make alterations to your plans, you must submit updated plans to the ministry for review.

Once construction is complete, the area manager or their designate will perform a post-construction/pre-operational inspection. If no issues are identified during the inspection, your licence application will be recommended by the area manager for approval.

We highly advise that you delay construction until you have received the ATM letter to ensure there is no non-compliance issue that would prevent your plant from being licensed or from being permitted to operate.

Contact us

For more information:

Toll-free: 1-877-424-1300
Email: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca