Concerns over new meat inspection rules in Sask.

There are concerns new inspection rules at meat plants in Saskatchewan could put the public’s safety at risk.

In 2014, after decades of contracting inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the job of inspecting Saskatchewan’s meat plants will become the province’s responsibility. The move is also taking place in Manitoba and British Columbia.

“Right now the provincial department doesn't have any food inspection for domestic consumption or any kind of consumption,” Milton Dyck regional vice-president of Agriculture Unions, Public Service Alliance of Canada said, “and this is a downloading of responsibilities from the federal government to the province.”

About 95 per cent of meat inspected in Saskatchewan will stay under federal jurisdiction because it will continue to travel across provincial borders. For the dozen plants only shipping within Saskatchewan, however, they will fall under the province.

“It’s intended to allow us to focus on the establishments that hold federal regulation with CFIA, which there are a number in Saskatchewan,” CFIA associate vice-president of operations Cathy Airth explained.

Over time, there will be fewer inspector jobs within the organization, but Airth expects job reductions to be covered through attrition, or some employees may find work within the province.

The biggest concerns for the union are that there will not be the number of staff, the money or the infrastructure to keep the public safe from contaminants like e-coli and salmonella.

But, the province insists it’s prepared to handle the added responsibility.

“It’s obviously not something we asked for, but we will deal with this,” Scott Brown, Executive Director of the Policy Branch with the Government of Saskatchewan. “We have two-and-a-half years to deal with it.”

At Shandy Treble’s butcher shop, Shandy’s Smoked Meats, he expects every piece of meat he buys has been properly inspected, and hopes the changes do not have an impact on the industry.

“If it’s not inspected, I’m not going to sell it,” Treble said. “That’s why I try to stick with well known companies.

“If you wouldn't eat it yourself, you shouldn't sell it. If you're not exactly sure where that animal's coming from, then you shouldn't purchase it.”