ottawa foodies

www.thestar.com

MMM roadkill. Actually if you read the article it sounds like it is probably a good idea. The slaughtered animal would still need to pass a vet inspection before being transferred to the slaughter house.

From article;
“Such an amendment would be extremely useful for industry in a number of situations, such as when injured animals cannot be transported alive for welfare reasons;"

If an animal is too injured to be transported alive I would seriously question the practices of the farm it came from!

So, the farmer can hire his own Vet to deem if the animal is ok for processing?

Now all those trampled and pecked to death chickens will make it to the slaughter house. Disgusting.

I can see that this proposal has some merit and may have some danger - the meat will still have to pass inspection in the processing area of the slaughterhouse I assume. Preinspection by a vet will require some kind of protocol to be followed, you would think. One of the dangers is animals treated with antibiotics - how will the vet determine whether any are in the animal? What if the vet can't determine the exact nature of the illness? Injuries are perhaps easier to identify.

I remember very early in my farming education having a very injured cow I wanted to get rid of but she couldn't walk. I asked my dw's uncle what we could do and he took over and arranged for a truck and brought his front end loader over and picked the cow up and put her in the truck and off she went - I think I got $50 for her.
I swore I'd never do that sort of thing again and I never did - the money wasn't worth causing an animal additional pain and suffering. Had we slaughtered her on the spot and hung the meat the way they used to do it on the farm we would have been happier, perhaps. Had she been shot and then taken to a slaughterhouse under this proposed law we would have been happier, perhaps.

FoodMonger "If an animal is too injured to be transported alive I would seriously question the practices of the farm it came from!" Animals are often too badly injured to be transported alive. Sh it happens on a farm and if you slip in it bad things can happen to legs, backs, etc. A 2000 lb bull on a 600 lb heifer's back is not the best way to stay healthy. Damn groundhog holes seem to pop up in the darndest places and should man, woman or beast walk into one there could be trouble. Just sayin'.

If the animal in question has a broken limb slaughter and hang ASAP. All other beasts go straight to compost or baiting the local predator population. I have always raised our own beef and have never heard of sick animals making good table fare.

Not coming from a farm background, I find this horrifying. Can anyone recommend a relatively objective Canadian source for information on food safety? The number of news reports of late about decreased inspection and safety measures honestly makes me doubt my ability to make good choices about the meat and other food I feed my family. I took a look at the website of Food Secure Canada (referenced above) and it's just too high level. I want information like whether there are antibiotics or other chemicals in the food I'm eating, the relative risk introduced to the food supply chain by various government decisions, etc. As it stands, I'm wholly dependent on the media, so when it's hot, it's hot, and when it's not, well....

Cardamom - my best advice is to get to know the people who produce your food, build a relationship with them. Visit their farm. You'll quickly find out who has healthy farming practices.

Thanks lovetoeat. In principle, I'd love to do this and do try my best, but there is only so much time in a day. Not sure what to think anymore, particularly given the fact that falsifying or misstating nutritional data is no longer subject to enforcement with the recent budget cuts.

I do find it ironic that the more safety rules and regulations are applied, the more difficult it is for a small farmer/producer/butcher to exist in that environment. I am not sure what to think. I would like to support effective regulations and enforcement, but I would also like to see flexibility for the little guy. Does that mean he/she doesn't have to follow the rules and potentially kill someone?

ddueck, that is no small coincidence. Government consults with large corporations on regulations, and of course they make recommendations to squeeze out the little guys. Even when the regulations only make sense in a really large mechanized operation and not on a mom&pop level