A lack of communication between officials in Canada could jeopardize the control system for EU milk exports, according to an audit.
DG Sante, the European Commission’s Agency for Health and Food Safety, has examined the official control system for milk and dairy products sent to the European Union under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.
The results are based on a review of the documentation and control records as well as discussions with government officials who met via video conference due to restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic.
The audit in October and November 2020 found that the control system provided a “generally satisfactory framework” to ensure compliance of exported products with Canadian legislation and additional EU regulations, but sometimes the certification officers did not have direct knowledge or documented evidence for that what they certify.
An earlier review of controls in the Canadian milk and milk sector for export to the EU in 2009 revealed three recommendations that were judged to have been implemented.
Lack of information between federal and local authorities
Canada exported 5,867 tonnes of milk and dairy products to the EU in 2019, while 25,243 tonnes went the other way, according to Eurostat data. 99 dairies are listed for EU exports.
The audit team found that cooperation between federal and provincial authorities is limited. Information about official controls by provincial agencies is not submitted to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). There is no exchange of data on quality controls in dairy farms and hygiene controls in dairy farms.
A lack of communication about the results of the controls between the CFIA and provincial authorities could undermine the reliability of the export certification of dairy products to the EU, auditors said.
When assessing raw milk in Manitoba and British Columbia, one location violated the plate number standards for three years since June 2017. Although he was subjected to several warnings, levies and suspensions from the raw milk collection, he had never canceled a certificate of approval.
The results of the raw milk tests are not communicated to the CFIA, the facility’s official inspector, or the food company that receives the raw milk.
HACCP problems
The official hygiene controls of dairy farms do not cover some EU requirements for animal health, criteria for cell count and germ count, and the traceability of raw milk and therefore cannot guarantee that the officials have the appropriate certificates in the health certificates, according to the report.
The audit team identified deficiencies in the approval and listing of EU export locations, the assessment of the implementation of hazard analyzes and critical control points (HACCP) and official controls at the milk production level. All establishments that are licensed under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) must carry out preventive controls based on HACCP.
They assessed the official control documentation in a dairy that was approved for EU export by the CFIA in 2019. It was approved without an on-site visit. The HACCP system was checked on paper by the authorities and found to be satisfactory, although its implementation on site had not been evaluated. Officials had not recently conducted any audits assessing the existing self-checking system.
An assessment of a HACCP system is not required before an installation is approved for EU export. The auditors found that the inspections did not verify the implementation of the HACCP systems or compliance with their own control procedures. The inspections were usually limited to document reviews and the checklists were not detailed enough to help inspectors properly assess the functioning of HACCP systems.
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