National Farmers Union opposes irradiation of Canadian ground beef

The National Farmers Union (NFU) opposes regulations that would see Health Canada allow the irradiation of ground beef in the country.

The NFU says irradiation is essentially a sanitation short cut that minimizes the chances of outbreaks like E. coli from improperly processed beef.

“Every time we have a problem with E. coli contaminated ground beef, there is increased pressure from the large processors to start this process in Canada,” says President Jan Slomp.

He says the real problem lies with the scale and speed of the country’s meat processors. E. coli can become a problem when animals are processed quickly. The bacteria is naturally found in the guts and feces of cattle.

Contamination often happens in the spring and the fall when increased rain means that feedlot animals go to slaughter covered in mud and manure.

Slomp says nuking ground beef may stop people from getting sick but it won’t solve sloppy slaughterhouse practices.

“It’s typically a problem that stems from too much concentration in the industry. If we say, we can only slaughter clean animals, what it means is we have to make smaller feedlots. We will have way more farmers finishing animals.”

Currently, the NFU says two companies – JBS of Brazil and Cargill of the US – process more than 90% of the country’s beef cattle at just two plants in southern Alberta.

Allowing irradiation gives large meat packing plants an advantage, Slomp says, and could spell big trouble for smaller plants, like the one proposed for Prince George.

“That would be very problematic for that plant because it would force them right away to invest in irradiation equipment to be competitive. If we say no, they would have a competitive advantage, being a smaller plant supported by local producers.”

He says smaller feedlots and more local meat processing centres are a better approach to a safer meat supply. A less centralized system could also mean farmers getting more money for their animals.

The NFU says Health Canada should focus on improving the meat inspection system instead. The union is also promoting diversification of meat processing to include more regional options, which it says will be better for consumers and farmers.