Canadian Food Inspection Agency Launches New Online Consultation for Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council

Jul 06, 2017

The RCC is a joint initiative between Canada and the United States that facilitates regulatory cooperation between the two countries and aims to enhance economic competitiveness while protecting the health, safety and environment of both countries.

“Trade between Canada and the United States generates many jobs for hard working Canadians,” stated Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “The Government of Canada is committed to streamlining regulations between our two countries while protecting health, safety, and the environment.”

“We are committed to working with our United States partners through the Regulatory Cooperation Council”

Since 2012, the CFIA, in cooperation with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has developed annual joint work plans in the areas of animal health, food safety, meat inspection and certification, and plant health.

“The Regulatory Cooperation Council is another example of the close collaboration between Canada and the United States in an effort to continually enhance food safety and protect consumers on both sides of the border,” Jane Philpott, Minister of Health said. “This joint initiative aims to improve the efficiency in the movement of meat and other goods between our two countries and demonstrates our governments’ commitment to further align our regulatory systems.”

Stakeholder consultation is key to the development of work plans under the RCC. The new web-based consultation tool will provide a consistent structure for stakeholders to provide feedback on the RCC initiatives that matter to them, and input on future opportunities.

“We are committed to working with our United States partners through the Regulatory Cooperation Council to achieve better efficiency on both sides of the border,” MacAulay added.

Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the work plans that impact them, and to provide input on future opportunities until October 31, 2017.

Information gathered in this consultation period will be used to help develop the next iteration of RCC work plans for food safety, meat inspection and certification, animal health, and plant health.

Source: Meatbusiness

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.