The Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Program: A National Perspective
by Randy Eros

The CSF is a mirror of our Provincial Sheep Organizations in many ways. One similarity is in the incredible amount of work that can go into a project before the majority of producers see any result. The Sheep Industry On-Farm Food Safety Program is one of those projects.

Consumer demands for more information on their food products are driving many of the changes we see in agriculture today. The challenge of developing a verifiable food safety program is being addressed by all sectors of agriculture. The CSF started to develop our program in December 1998. The Technical Committee, whose job is to develop the producer manual started working in fall of 1999.

The input has continued and we are now at the point where we are putting the finishing touches on the manual. This work has been carried out by a dedicated group of producer volunteers and a handful of Organization and Provincial staff. As one of the steps in finalizing the program the Technical Committee enlisted the help of 21 farms from across Canada to pilot the program. At our last meeting, January in Saskatoon, we reviewed the comments of these farmers and made changes to the manual.

This summer we will start the review process with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Once the program has passed the review process we will start the work of distributing the manuals and training producers. This is designed as a voluntary program for producers. Those who get involved will find that, on the whole, it will require them to keep track and verify what they already do. Though the program is voluntary it is quite possible that some of our markets may require producers to participate.

The costs to develop this program (apart from the significant contribution made by producers) have come from Federal funding. The CSF will continue to work at lobbying the Federal Government in an effort to see that the consumer, through their tax dollars, continues to pay for food safety verification programs.

Thanks go out to all of the producers who have been involved in this ongoing process. I would specifically like to acknowledge the efforts of John Hemsted of Ontario for his continued work as chair of the On-Farm Food Safety Technical Committee and Beth Kyle of OSMA. Beth has the unenviable task of recording the discussions of a dozen or so participants and making sure it all makes sense at the end of the day. Her hard work on the details and paper work have made it possible to move this project along.

Look for more details on the On-Farm Food Safety Program this fall.

What is the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Program?
The Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Program (COFFS) is a producer driven partnership between industry and government that helps national commodity organizations develop and implement on-farm food safety programs. These programs are based on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) definitions and principles, an internationally recognized system of quality assurance endorsed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Why was the COFFS Program established?
The COFFS Program was established in May 1997 to respond to increasing consumer concerns about the safety of their food. Now, through the success of the COFFS program, Canada is becoming recognized as a leader in food safety. The program demonstrates to consumers and processors, both nationally and internationally that Canadian farmers produce food that is among the safest in the world.

How is the COFFS Program funded?
The COFFS Program has been funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) through its Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development Fund. Beginning in April 2003 funding will continue to be provided by AAFC through the new Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) under the Food Safety and Quality Chapter.

The COFFS Program is administered by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).

How is the COFFS program run?
A national Working Group comprised of representatives from seventeen national commodity organizations meets regularly in Ottawa to develop generic tools and strategies for the design, delivery and implementation of on-farm food safety programs. Representatives from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada attend these meetings to provide technical advice and support. Through the leadership and guidance of this group, national commodity organizations are creating affordable, sustainable and credible on-farm food safety programs. Activities of the Working Group include:

• developing and delivering training courses for on-farm food safety validators;
• encouraging CFIA to establish an official recognition program;
• developing a system for certifying producers in cooperation with the Standards Council of Canada and CFIA;
• creating a risk management program to address liability issues of producers, organizations and validators.
• developing communication materials to educate producers and consumers, nationally and internationally about
  the value of the COFFS program.

The Canadian Sheep Federation is a member of this Working Group. For more information on the sheep industry's on-farm food safety program please contact the office at 1-888-684-7739.