Monday, March 19, 2018

CFIA has a planned failure rate

The business plan the Canadian Food Inspection Agency filed with Parliament contains planned failure rates.

For example, the goal for fertilizers that meet standards is only 90 per cent, for livestock and poultry feeds that meet label claims is 95 per cent, for pedigreed seed is 95 per cent and for imports free of plant pests is 85 per cent.

What the actual failure rates have been is not revealed.

In a similar vein, 90 per cent compliance is the goal for establishments making veterinary biologics, for eggs, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, processed fruits and vegetables and meat and poultry products.

The goal for imported manufactured food that meets standards is only 70 per cent.

The business plan also shows that the government intends to cut budgets and staff, including those for food safety and meat and poultry inspections.

The planned cuts to begin in April, 2015, were $36 million and 193 full-time staff. That was to be done by March 31, 2017.

And more cuts are in the works.

“Over the three fiscal years from 2017-18 to 2019-20, the CFIA’s planned spending is decreasing by $103.2 million (from $712.0 million to $608.8 million).

“The planned full-time equivalent (FTE) count is decreasing by 535 FTEs, from 5,691 to 5,156.

“The decrease over three years is primarily related to the sunsetting of time-limited funding for various initiatives and programs,” the CFIA says in an e-mail to an Ontario Farmer reporter.