The all-parties House of Commons Agriculture committee has had another of its recommendations rejected by Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald.
This time it is a call for mandatory reporting of the prices meat packers pay for hogs and cattle, just as it is in the United States.
As reported earlier, he rejected the committee's call for a pause on closing seven research facilities and a careful review of the likely consequences.
The agriculture department replied that here is no legislative authority to collect price information in Canada. Statistics Canada has authority to collect, compile and publish statistical information, but that is subject to constraints of proportionality, purpose and protecting confidentiality.
The industry structure in Canada is also a factor, it said, because there is a high level of concentration and a limited number of processors. This makes sharing detailed price information more complex. Ther department did not say that the two dominant meat packers report prices they pay for cattle slaughtered at their U.S. plants.
MacDonald agreed with the committee recommendation calling for a transparent way to identify previously frozen meat in the supply chain, better interprovincial meat trade and stronger support for provincial and local slaughter plants.
The response said the government continues work to amend the Specified Risk Material regulations and harmonize them with the U.S. The comment period on proposed amendments ended Sept. 9.
As well, it supported in principle a recommendation to develop a regionalized approach to reportable diseases to keep exports moving.
