Emergency Slaughter Appointed Inspector Program

Overview

The Emergency Slaughter Appointed Inspector Program allows appointed inspectors to authorize and oversee emergency slaughter of food animals outside an abattoir (slaughter plant) if deemed necessary. This helps uphold Alberta’s food safety and on-farm animal welfare assurance systems while allowing livestock producers or feedlots to get value for injured, escaped or dangerous food animals.

When an appointed inspector (or Alberta Meat Inspector) performs an ante-mortem (before death) and post-mortem (after death) inspection, the meat is considered to be inspected and can be sold anywhere within Alberta.

How it works

An appointed inspector can authorize and oversee slaughter of a food animal outside of an abattoir if upon ante-mortem inspection they determine that it does not pose a risk to food safety or public health, and the animal is either:

• injured and cannot be transported without undue suffering or distress
  • If an animal is unfit for transportation, as defined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Transporting Unfit or Compromised Animals Policy, it cannot be transported.
  • An animal must not be allowed to deteriorate in health between the time of ante-mortem examination and the time of humane stunning.
• escaped
• dangerous (cannot be loaded or transported without endangering itself, another animal, or a person)

The animal is slaughtered on the premises and transported to a provincially licensed abattoir where the carcass is dressed, receives a post-mortem inspection and undergoes any cutting or processing steps.

Appointed inspector eligibility

Inspectors are appointed under section 2(1) of the Meat Inspection Act. They are generally meat inspectors employed by the Alberta government. Other qualified people may also be appointed as inspectors for the purposes of emergency slaughter, including veterinarians who are:

• registered under the Veterinary Profession Act
• licensed by the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) to practice as a:
  • General Practice Registered Veterinarian
  • Time Limited Registered Veterinarian
  • Temporary Registered Veterinarian

Other people who are not ABVMA registered and licensed veterinarians may be considered for appointment if they demonstrate extensive slaughter meat inspection experience through prior employment as a meat inspector within a recognized meat inspection system.

Become an appointed inspector

This voluntary program relies on the participation of ABVMA registered veterinarians or other individuals who have knowledge and experience in the areas of farm animal health conditions, pathology, livestock welfare and food safety.

More participants are needed, especially in the southern Alberta ‘feedlot alley’ and remote and rural areas across the province. In some parts of Alberta, there are no appointed inspectors available.

• Contact us to learn more about how to become an appointed inspector.
• View the Appointed Inspector List.

Benefits

Appointed inspectors can apply their existing knowledge in farm animal health and pathology while gaining more experience in safe food production within provincially licensed abattoirs.

All individuals who participate in the program receive:

• onsite training at a provincially licensed abattoir
• compensation based on an agreement between the appointed inspector and the producer or abattoir that is requesting the service

Contact

Connect with us about the Emergency Slaughter Appointed Inspector Program:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 403-422-0406
Email: agi.foodsafety@gov.ab.ca