Mobile abattoirs: the BC experience

1. Mobile abattoirs: the BC experience 2005-2012 For Sustain Ontario mobile abattoirs webinar 30 October 2012 Presenter: Kathleen Gibson Former Manager of Meat Programs for the BC Food Processors Association

2. Regulatory context • Pre 2004: limited meat inspection areas • 2004 Meat Inspection Regulation under Food Safety Act: licences, facility upgrades required for all slaughter for meat for human food • 2005-12: programs in place to assist with licensing and related costs • 2010: addition of D and E licences • 2011-present: prep for provincial inspection after 2013

3. BC’s graduated licensing system

4. Industry impact • Pre 2004, 300+ operations? A/B only option • 2004: 11 A/B • 2012: 59 A/B (43 A, 16 B) and 69 D/E • Significant cost to build/upgrade A/B (< $1M) • Mobiles may only be A or B • Still concern in some areas about facility requirements for A/B, or lack of E • Still uncertainty about inspection post 2013

5. BC’s poultry mobiles 1/2 Passmore Pluckers, Slocan Salt Spring Island facility North Okanagan Poultry Processors, Armstrong Okanagan Poultry Processing, Kelowna

6. BC’s poultry mobiles 2/2 BC status Oct 2012: 8 licensed mobile units - 6 active, 1 stationary, 1 inactive Cariboo-Central Interior Poultry Producers Association unit at docking station 1, Quesnel

7. Red meat mobiles BC status Oct 2012: 1 licensed mobile unit (inactive); 1 nearly licensed; 3 under construction LEFT: BC’s Gate to Plate unit 1, Fort St. John ABOVE: Island Grown Farmers’ Co-op unit 1, Washington State

8. BC’s mobiles: lessons learned • Not simple as hoped e.g. “move unit not animal” • Licence is for unit + approved docking station • Each DS has to address potable water, waste, chilling, other issues (non-trivial!) • Two types docking station: community or individual farm • Mobiles generally less cost-effective per carcass than fixed units: • Trailerable models cheaper to manufacture and operate than 53’ reefer type units • Seem to work if start out debt free • Volume is restricted • Time and cost for setup including ice-making • Down time when unit moving from site to site • Crew time and travel costs; or train more crews • Biosecurity of unit is a major consideration for farm-based docking stations • Operational logistics issues: • Road access limits size; cramped quarters slow the process • Work flow is a key planning issue • Difficult to chill on site • Where to store carcasses if not on site? Red meat especially • Scheduling: everyone wants service at same times, challenge coordinating with inspectors

9. BC’s mobiles verdict so far? • 6 active mobile poultry units; 0 active red meat units • Business case needs total cost accounting • Manoeuverability vs. workflow limitations • Mobilization has to be well thought out, and limited (it’s still cheaper to move animals short distances) • Invest in producer-processor relationships, build trust through education, celebrate successes • Emphasize pre-planning from birth to death of animals • Provide online support for scheduling, education etc. • Ask advice from/network with operators of active units

10. For further information: • Abattoir licensing and inspection in BC: www.health.gov.bc.ca/protect/meat-regulation/ • BC mobiles business case spreadsheets, Salt Spring Island multi-use project: Murray Coates, m.coates@shaw.ca • North Okanagan Poultry Processors group and unit: Andrea Gunner, gunnera@telus.net