The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is allowing feed mills to delay third-party audits that check for compliance with the Canadian Ractopamine-Free Pork Certification Program.
It is granting the leniency because it realizes hog producers are facing a number of new challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The audits are basically a check of records feed mills must maintain.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will continue to sample and test hog carcasses for residues and producers remain responsible for complying with contracts they signed with packers.
Last June China suspended pork imports from Canada because it said it detected residues of ractopamine in imports covered by a Canadian certificate.
There were subsequent indications that more than 70 CFIA certificates were discovered to be fraudulent.
The Canadian government has never revealed the results of its investigation into who cheated.
