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Farm-Scape, Episode 2239

Canadian pork industry stakeholders are evaluating proposed new options for ensuring pork products remain free of residues of Carbadox.

In 2001 the sale of products containing Carbadox was halted in Canada because of specific human health concerns and Health Canada recently proposed a regulatory amendment to include Carbadox in the list of prohibited substances to ensure no residues of the drug or its metabolites end up in pork and pork products.

Last week representatives of several federal government departments, including Health Canada, US government officials and Canadian pork industry stakeholders met to discuss options.

Canadian Pork Council executive director Martin Rice says stakeholders are evaluating two alternatives.

"Both are aimed at still satisfying Health Canada's mandate, which nobody disputes, of having to assure themselves of no Carbadox residues in the Canadian food supply.

One would involve some regulatory change but of a nature that's different than what was being considered before, one that would put much less threat of an exporter feeling that their market opportunities were being affected.

The other one would involve no regulatory changes at all but just look at the areas of residue monitoring and the responses to any change that the residue monitoring program would suggest.

Our preference is that we not be unnecessarily different than what are the practices of other countries where Carbadox has been removed or has never been approved.

We would look at that as putting ourselves in a comparable situation with the EU, Japan, Australia in terms of Canada being a market that's open, as reasonably possible, given the status of Carbadox."

Stakeholders are scheduled to reconvene at the end of this month.

Rice applauds Health Canada's willingness to consider options which would present less risk from a trade perspective.

Staff Farmscape.Ca