Overview

The Meat Inspection Program ensures that provincially licensed meat plants comply with legislated standards for the slaughter and production of safe meat products.

As part of the program, veterinary inspectors may condemn a whole carcass or parts of it, deeming it unsafe for human consumption. They provide meat plant operators with a disposition through Form 202: Whole and/or Partial Carcass(es) Condemnations, which outlines the reasons for condemnation.

If you are a meat producer or consigner, you may request a discussion with a veterinarian from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to talk about the reasons for condemnations written on the form.

You must submit your request within 10 business days of Form 202 being issued.

Eligibility

You may request a discussion with a ministry veterinarian if you are a:

  • meat producer
  • meat consigner
  • herd or flock veterinarian, with permission from the producer or consigner

Purpose

We are committed to improving transparency with meat plant operators about inspection decisions and animal health.

A discussion with a ministry veterinarian is for education purposes only. The information can help you:

  • find out what might be contributing to the condemnation
  • address potential issues at the farm level

Producers or consigners must consult their herd or flock veterinarian about any information that they receive in the discussion.

Not an appeal process

Discussions will not change the disposition given to animals, carcasses or parts of carcasses. There is no opportunity to appeal the disposition.

The powers conferred by appointment to veterinary inspectors under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001 allow dispositions to be made on individual livestock, groups of livestock, carcasses, parts of carcasses and products based on professional judgement.

What happens in a discussion

The ministry veterinarian will review the information provided on Form 202: Whole and/or Partial Carcass Condemnations with you.

If necessary, they will review laboratory results collected as part of the disposition process for the affected animals or lot. They may also review the results for previous dispositions of the same type of animals from the same producer.

For herd and flock veterinarians, the ministry veterinarian will discuss possible treatments or best practices to improve overall animal health.

How to request a discussion

  1. Contact the meat plant operator that processed the animals or carcasses. They are responsible for submitting the request on your behalf.
  2. The plant operator must contact your local Meat Inspection Program area manager to let them know you want to request a discussion with a ministry veterinarian.
  3. The area manager will provide the plant operator with a Meat Inspection Program discussion request form. The producer, consigner, or herd or flock veterinarian is responsible for filling it out.
  4. The meat plant operator submits the completed form to the area manager.

We will respond to the request within 10 business days. If you need a response urgently, write this on the request form and let your area manager know.