OTTAWA -- The federal government wants to allow the carcasses of already dead animals to be processed in slaughterhouses for human consumption, a move that is raising concerns about the safety of Canada’s food system. The Conservative government is pitching the change as a way to cut red tape and provide greater flexibility to slaughterhouse operators.

Abstract

A new report concludes decision makers must understand the relationship between animal health and food safety, which the authors say is sorta complex. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) has published a review of research titled, “The Direct Relationship between Animal Health and Food Safety Outcomes” and is available at www.animalagriculture.org.

The slaughter of animals for commercial meat supply without stunning them first should at the very least be curbed, if not banned, concludes a former president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) in an opinion piece in this week's Veterinary Record. There has been a steady rise in the number of animals killed in this way over the past decade, the available data suggest.