The CCA has closely followed the evolution of the poultry inspection system and is continuing to support the move to a science-based approach. The policy will continue to remain in draft format until the pilots have ended and the necessary refinements have been made. The final policy will receive widespread distribution and be made available on the CFIA website. In preparation for the pilots, most poultry processing facilities across the country were reviewed to establish a base-line performance level for the current poultry inspection system. This level will be used to compare future microbiological and defect detection performances against the current ones.
Work is well underway in the two pilot plants.
Training of both Agency and plant staff has taken place and the in-plant trials have just begun. The pilots will run for four to six weeks. An implementation team with regional champions from each province has been established. The Implementation Team will forward recommendations to the Science and Technology Team for consideration in preparation for the final policy. The purpose of the pilots is to test the modernized inspection system to determine if it meets or exceeds strict federal food safety standards.