Ottawa-The delivery of federal food regulation services needs major changes in how they are delivered, says Dennis Laycraft, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Cattle Association.

Speaking to the Commons agriculture committee about the Carney government’s red tape reduction program, Laycraft said the way the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulates the beef industry needs some restructuring.

“It's imperative that there's either a culture shift or a structural change to how those services are delivered,” he said.

The regulatory process should be examined with a with a competitiveness lens, he said. “We truly believe Canada has some of the greatest potential in the world to increase our high-quality agriculture exports and will be one of the leading food producers in the world. We think it will actually drive some of the important competitive growth in our economy.”

An issue for the cattle industry is how long will it take CFIA to make regulatory changes on the specified risk material “if we don't put the right lens on getting that done when it certainly has a negative impact on our industry.” With the right risk assessment Canada can maintain its full market access around the world.

Chris Duyvelshoff, Chair of Crop Protection for the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), said reform at CFIA and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency “is an opportunity to align strong protections with practical delivery.

“Canada can uphold high standards while improving predictability and minimizing impacts to food production by using a food lens to make policy decisions. Right now, decisions at PMRA and CFIA are not viewed through a food lens. This results in two major problems for growers.”

Farmers need predictable science-based approvals so they are not left without crop protection tools. Also farms already meet strict CanadaGAP food safety audits yet face repeated checks for the same rules.

“When Canadian regulators make decisions, they already assess human health and environmental evidence. A food lens adds a complementary perspective.”

Using a food lens as a guide, FVGC proposes the following five practical changes at PMRA and CFIA that would support producers and enhance food security.

One is that PMRA utilize existing reviews from comparable regulatory agencies where scientific standards and the evidence base are equivalent. PMRA should develop regulatory pathways for new technologies such as drones with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other global regulatory partners. “Despite the PMRA working on a regulatory framework for drone technology since 2019, there remains no clear pathway for approval in Canada.”

The minor-use pesticides program should be properly resourced for its mandate and aligned with the U.S. by waiving annual fees for products used solely on minor-use food crops. Additionally, for submissions that make small common changes, such as a crop or pests in a greenhouse, PMRA should skip formal consultations.

Emergency-use registrations for unmanageable pest outbreaks should be authorized for up to three years, with accelerated timelines for critical cases.

CFIA should eliminate duplication and enhance standardization to reduce the audit burden and inspector protocols and training should be standardized nationally so that enforcement is fair, risk-based and predictable across Canada.

Moreover, phytosanitary export documentation should not be duplicated when such information is already available and approvals from one agency, such as CFIA, should be respected by others.

This news report prepared for National Newswatch