Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 148, Number 8: Regulations Amending the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations

February 22, 2014

Statutory authority

Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act

Sponsoring agency

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Issues and objectives

When the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act (AMPs Act) was passed in 1995, the intention was to identify administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) violations for all of the agri-food statutes listed in the Act; however, this was to be phased in over a number of years. The administration of the three statutes (Health of Animals Act, Plant Protection Act and Pest Control Products Act) for which administrative penalties are currently available has yielded valuable insights into the use and applicability of administrative penalties, making now an opportune time to expand AMPs to the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990.

Administrative monetary penalties are an additional option to respond to non-compliance, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) acts and regulations provide many options for responding to non-compliance. These are outlined in the CFIA's Compliance and Enforcement Operational Policy. The CFIA may respond with, for example, education, written warnings, seizure and detention of product or prosecution when non-compliance is found, depending on the nature of the contravention and the compliance history of the contravener.

These amendments also correct an oversight in Part 3 of Schedule 3. In the current version of this part of the Regulations, “harm to human health” was omitted from one of the items used in determining the extent to which a penalty is adjusted. This omission, if not addressed, could compromise the deterrent objective of this portion of the Regulations.

Description and rationale

The purpose of the AMPs Act is to enhance the enforcement options currently available in respect of seven statutes administered by the CFIA (the Canada Agricultural Products Act, the Feeds Act, the Fertilizers Act, the Health of Animals Act, the Meat Inspection Act, the Plant Protection Act, and the Seeds Act), and one statute (the Pest Control Products Act) administered by Health Canada. The AMPs Act establishes an alternative to the existing penal system and supplements current enforcement measures such as prosecution.

Pursuant to the AMPs Act, the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (AMPs Regulations) have been implemented to respond to violations of the Health of Animals Act and Regulations, the Plant Protection Act and Regulations, and the Pest Control Products Act and Regulations. The AMPs Regulations currently set out provisions of these three acts and their regulations, the contravention of which may result in the issuance of warnings or monetary penalties which range from $500 to $10,000. In addition, the AMPs Regulations authorize compliance agreements with persons who commit violations whereby administrative monetary penalties can be reduced or cancelled if persons agree to take appropriate steps to ensure future compliance with the law and these steps include monetary expenditures.

This regulatory proposal will add provisions of the Meat Inspection Act and Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 to Schedule 1 to the AMPs Regulations, thereby enabling the issuance of administrative monetary penalties for violation of these provisions. It will also amend paragraph 3(a) of Part 3 of Schedule 3 by including harm to human health as a factor used in determining the total gravity value used in adjusting penalties. Research on AMPs has uncovered that AMPs are appropriate when

The ability to use administrative monetary penalties allows the CFIA to be more strategic and proactive in its enforcement approach. Currently, when faced with non-compliance in the meat hygiene sector, the CFIA can either suspend or cancel a licence or registration (which prohibits the regulated party from operating) or recommend prosecution. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada decides whether to pursue the case in the courts. With AMPs, the CFIA has full authority to decide when to issue a monetary penalty. CFIA officials can now work in conjunction with industry associations to act on specific non-compliance issues. The CFIA can advertise in industry newsletters that it and the industry associations are concerned with certain kinds of non-compliance and, that when a violation is found, immediate action will be taken.

The experience of other agencies administering similar schemes shows that this approach is very effective in increasing compliance.

Alternatives considered

1. Status quo — Do not amend the current AMPs Regulations

This option does not enable administrative penalties as an additional compliance and enforcement tool for the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 for the CFIA.

2. Amend the AMPs Regulations (preferred option)

This option would identify AMPs violations under the Meat Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 and provide greater flexibility in compliance and enforcement tools in the meat hygiene sector.

Consultation

The Beef and Cattle Producers Advisory Committee has been advised of this regulatory proposal and has communicated it to its membership.

“One-for-One” Rule

The “One-for-One” Rule does not apply to this amendment as there are no associated administrative costs or savings.

Small business lens

The small business lens does not apply to these amendments, as there are no costs to small business.

Implementation, enforcement and service standards

The regulatory amendment will be communicated to inspectors and investigators.

This amendment does not change any requirements for regulated parties. There will be no adjustments to the current CFIA Compliance and Enforcement Operational Policy. No additional resources will be required.

Contacts

Dr. Parthiban Muthukumarasamy
Acting Director
Meat Programs Division
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Road, Tower 1, 4th Floor, Room 228
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0Y9
Telephone: 613-773-6162
Fax: 613-773-6281
Email: Parthiban.Muthukumarasamy@inspection.gc.ca

Mr. Doug Milne
Director
Enforcement and Investigation Services
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1431 Merivale Road, 3rd Floor, Room 118
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0Y9
Telephone: 613-773-8170
Fax: 613-773-8528
Email: Doug.Milne@inspection.gc.ca

PROPOSED REGULATORY TEXT

Notice is given that the Minister of Health, pursuant to subsection 4(1) of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act (see footnote a), proposes to make the annexed Regulations Amending the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations.

Interested persons may make representations concerning the proposed Regulations within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. All such representations must cite the Canada Gazette, Part I, and the date of publication of this notice, and be addressed to Dr. Parthiban Muthukumarasamy, A/Director, Meat Programs Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 1400 Merivale Road, Tower 1, Floor 4, Room 228, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9 (tel.: 613-773-6162; fax: 613-773-6281; email: Parthiban.Muthukumarasamy@inspection.gc.ca).

Ottawa, February 12, 2014

RONA AMBROSE
Minister of Health

REGULATIONS AMENDING THE AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD ADMINISTRATIVE MONETARY PENALTIES REGULATIONS

AMENDMENTS

1. Schedule 1 to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (see footnote 1) is amended by adding the following after Part 2:

PART 3

MEAT INSPECTION ACT AND MEAT INSPECTION REGULATIONS, 1990

DIVISION 1
MEAT INSPECTION ACT
(R.S., c. 25 (1st Supp.))
Item

Column 1

Provision of Meat Inspection Act

Column 2

Short-form Description

Column 3

Classification

1. 3(2) Operate a registered establishment without a licence Very serious
2. 5(a) Apply or use a meat inspection legend without authorization Very serious
3. 5(b) Advertise, sell or possess for such a purpose a thing bearing, or in connection with which it is used, the meat inspection legend without authorization Very serious
4. 6(a) Apply or use any legend, word, mark, symbol or design likely to be mistaken for the meat inspection legend Very serious
5. 6(b) Advertise, sell or possess for such a purpose a thing bearing, or in connection with which it is used, any legend, word, mark, symbol or design likely to be mistaken for the meat inspection legend Serious
6. 7 Export a meat product without meeting requirements Serious
7. 8 Send or convey a meat product interprovincially without meeting requirements Serious
8. 9(1) Import a meat product without meeting requirements Serious
9. 9(2) Fail to deliver an imported meat product for inspection Very serious
10. 9(3)(a) Possess an imported meat product that has been unlawfully imported Very serious
11. 9(3)(b) Possess an imported meat product that has not been delivered to a registered establishment for inspection Very serious
12. 10(1)(a) Advertise, sell or possess for such a purpose a meat product that has been unlawfully imported Very serious
13. 10(1)(b) Advertise, sell or possess an imported meat product that has not been delivered to a registered establishment for inspection Serious
14. 10(2)(a) Advertise, sell or possess for such a purpose a meat product that has been conveyed interprovincially without meeting the prescribed standards or without being packaged and labelled as prescribed Serious
15. 10(2)(b) Advertise, sell or possess for such a purpose a meat product bearing, or in connection with which it is used, the meat inspection legend without meeting the prescribed standards or without being packaged and labelled as prescribed Serious
16. 13(2) Fail to give all reasonable assistance or to furnish information to the inspector Serious
17. 14(1) Obstruct or hinder inspector or make a false or misleading statement to inspector Very serious
18. 14(2) Remove, alter or interfere with an item seized or detained by an inspector without authority Very serious
DIVISION 2
MEAT INSPECTION REGULATIONS, 1990
(SOR/90-288)
Item

Column 1

Provision of Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990

Column 2

Short-form Description

Column 3

Classification

1. 2.1 Fail to submit a document in writing in the prescribed manner Minor
2. 4 Identify as edible a meat product that does not comply with prescribed requirements Very serious
3. 22.1 Fail to prepare meat products in accordance with prescribed process control requirements Serious
4. 26(1) Identify for use as animal food a meat product that does not comply with prescribed requirements Serious
5. 29(11) Transfer a licence to another person Minor
6. 29(12) Fail to keep and retain records of specific activities or procedures Serious
7. 30.1(1) Fail to develop, implement and maintain control programs and procedures as prescribed Very serious
8. 30.1(2) Fail to keep records relevant to the prescribed control programs and procedures Very serious
9. 30.2 Fail to operate a shared inspection program or a post-mortem examination program as prescribed Serious
10. 31 Fail to make available to an inspector any food animal, meat product or thing used in connection with a food animal or meat product Very serious
11. 34(1) Fail to possess and maintain equipment and material necessary to operate the establishment Very serious
12. 34(2) Fail to develop, implement or maintain a written sanitation program Serious
13. 34(2.2) Fail to keep records of monitoring and verification activities and corrective or preventative actions Serious
14. 34(10) Fail to develop, implement or maintain pest control program as prescribed Serious
15. 43.1 Prepare a food that is a mixture of a fish product and a meat product in a registered establishment Serious
16. 56(1)(a) Fail to clean and sanitize hands as prescribed Serious
17. 56(1)(b) Fail to keep clothing sanitary as prescribed Serious
18. 56(2) Fail to adhere to hygienic practices Serious
19. 56(3) Fail to wear clothing and footwear that are sound, clean and in a sanitary condition Serious
20. 56(4) Fail to wear a hair covering or a beard and moustache covering Minor
21. 56(5) Spit, chew gum, smoke or consume tobacco products or consume food Serious
22. 56(6) Wear an object or use a substance that may fall into or contaminate a meat product or ingredient Serious
23. 57(1) Fail to ensure that person with medical condition does not work in an area where there is a risk of contamination Very serious
24. 57(2) Fail to report symptoms of condition that could be transmitted through a meat product Very serious
25. 57.1(1) Fail to ensure that personnel are trained or qualified to perform their duties Serious
26. 57.1(2) Fail to develop, carry out and keep up-to-date a written training program as prescribed Minor
27. 57.1(4) Fail to keep records of the training of personnel as prescribed Minor
28. 57.2 Fail to carry out control programs as prescribed Serious
29. 58(1) Fail to ensure that low-acid meat product is thermally processed until commercial sterility is achieved Very serious
30. 59(a) Fail to keep a written description of scheduled process and recipe of processed low-acid meat product Very serious
31. 59(b) Fail to keep a written description of scheduled process and recipe of processed low-acid meat product for at least three years Very serious
32. 59(c) Fail to keep in an establishment a written description of operation and maintenance procedures for units of thermal processing equipment as prescribed Very serious
33. 59(d) Fail to keep in an establishment a written description of a low-acid meat product recall procedure Very serious
34. 59(e) Fail to produce on inspector's request a written statement regarding scheduled process Very serious
35. 59(f) Fail to retain records containing the prescribed minimum information for product history for at least three years Minor
36. 59(g) Fail to notify an inspector when a low-acid meat product is to be recalled Very serious
37. 60 Fail to ensure that a low-acid meat product packaged in a hermetically sealed container is processed as prescribed Very serious
38. 60.1(1) Fail to investigate or notify an inspector when a meat product might constitute a risk to public health or might not meet requirements of Regulations Very serious
39. 60.1(2) Fail to immediately notify the President when investigation indicates a meat product constitutes a risk to the public health Very serious
40. 60.2(1) Fail to develop, implement or maintain written procedures for the recall as prescribed Serious
41. 60.2(2) Fail to develop and maintain product distribution records Serious
42. 60.2(3) Fail to review product recall procedures or to conduct a product recall simulation at least once a year Minor
43. 60.2(4) Fail to make available to the inspector the product recall procedures, the product recall simulation results and the product distribution records for the prescribed minimum period Very serious
44. 60.3 Fail to prepare the written procedures as prescribed or to maintain prescribed records for receiving, investigating and responding to complaints Minor
45. 67(1) Fail to perform ante-mortem examination of a bird under supervision of official veterinarian, as prescribed Serious
46. 67(4) Fail to present a bird at the request of an inspector for ante-mortem inspection Very serious
47. 67(5) Fail to wait for an inspector's requested ante-mortem inspection and authorization before slaughtering a bird Very serious
48. 67(8) Fail to comply with instructions from an official veterinarian Very serious
49. 68 Fail to comply with instructions from an official veterinarian that a food animal must be condemned or held and segregated Very serious
50. 73 Fail to ensure that every food animal designated as held is segregated and identified as being held or any carcass derived from it is identified as being held Serious
51. 80(a) Use of equipment or instrument for restraining, slaughtering or rendering unconscious any food animal by a person who is not competent to do so without subjecting the animal to avoidable distress or avoidable pain Serious
52. 80(b) Use of equipment or instrument on any food animal in condition, manner or circumstances that might subject the animal to avoidable distress or avoidable pain Serious
53. 82 Fail to ensure that the blood and parts of a food animal carcass are identified as prescribed Serious
54. 83(1) Fail to ensure that the carcass of a food animal and all the blood harvested for processing as edible meat product are presented for examination or inspection Very serious
55. 83(4) Fail to comply with instructions from an official veterinarian Very serious
56. 85(1) Fail to ensure that the carcass of, parts of the carcass of, or blood harvested from a food animal identified as condemned is handled as prescribed Serious
57. 86(1) Fail to ensure that a condemned part of the carcass of a food animal is removed from the carcass and handled as prescribed Serious
58. 88(b) Without an inspector's consent, treat as condemned a meat product identified as being held Serious
59. 89 Fail to ensure that meat product is packaged and labelled as prescribed Serious
60. 121 Identify as edible a meat product intended for export that does not meet the requirements of the importing country and is not packaged and labelled as prescribed Very serious
61. 122(1) Fail to package and label a meat product intended for export in accordance with the requirements of the importing country or as prescribed Serious
62. 122(2) Fail to ensure that a meat product produced for export, that does not meet the requirements for an edible meat product in Canada, is packaged and labelled as prescribed and is labelled as being for export Minor
63. 122.2 Fail to follow the prescribed procedure for the return to Canada of a meat product that was exported from Canada Serious
64. 124 Fail to present a meat product to an inspector for verification at the time and place of its removal Serious
65. 130(1) Remove or alter an official seal or tag without authorization Very serious
66. 131(1) Fail to provide the inspector with requested samples Very serious
2. The portion of paragraph 3(a) of Part 3 of Schedule 3 to the Regulations in column 2 is replaced by the following:
Item

Column 2

Harm

3. (a) serious or widespread harm to human, animal or plant health or the environment;

COMING INTO FORCE

3. These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

[8-1-o]

N.B. The Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement for these Regulations appears following SOR/2021-xx, titre.