The company was fined $10,000 for failure to comply with standards for filing acceptable paperwork related to its Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan.
The company failed an audit and had 60 days to comply, but that 60 days was when construction was underway to double the size of the plant to about 20,000 square feet, said majority owner Nancy Kingsley-Hu.
She told Ontario Farmer that she received no communications from the CFIA over that 60-day period, so had no opportunity to explain the situation and that she was in the process of generating new HACCP plans for the expanded plant.
The company received a licence last year to export beef to China. Kingsley-Hu used to live in Shanghai, was a trader, and recognized the export opportunity.
Tribunal chairman Luc Belanger is likely to take some time at the conclusion of the hearing this week to write his decision.
The tribunal hears appeals from people who feel aggrieved by the Canadian Border Services Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
