The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says that XL Foods has met all the necessary requirements and has been given the go-ahead to resume operations.
The plant in Brooks had its licence suspended in September after E. coli was discovered by meat inspectors and later linked to 16 cases of illness across the country
The CFIA says the facility will gradually ramp up to full operating capacity.
“Based on a full range of observations and testing we are confident that all issues have been fully addressed. We have provided that assurance to the minister,” said Paul Mayers, CFIA Associate VP of Programs. “Effective today the CFIA has reinstated the facilities operating licence.”
Mayers says that they are confident that all food safety controls are being implemented appropriately but enhanced inspection will be added for the next little while to ensure that the company can safely handle the increased production volume.
“We will be approaching this on a ramping up staged approach with the company. We will work on the basis of the proposal from the company as to the staging and we will be undertaking this on a performance basis and so our enhanced over site will focus on a demonstration of the performance of the company in the consistent application of their controls, and with that demonstration of performance the opportunity to continue to ramp up production until they reach what for the company is considered their normal line speed and I can’t give you a time line on that because it is performance based, it will be guided by our over site and the demonstration of performance in the facility,” said Mayers.
Mayers said inspectors will have greater oversight of all slaughter and processing operations, as well as test more frequently for E. coli at key stages in the plant's processes.
No products will leave the plant until those results are assessed and all production will immediately halt if safety concerns are raised at any time, he added. "Our focus in terms of enhanced oversight will include oversight of the E. coli controls, sanitation and general food hygiene, as well the monitoring of critical control points."
The CFIA said inspectors had been closely monitoring "limited, in-house operations" at the plant since Oct. 11, including the cutting and processing of any remaining carcasses.
Union officials met with the new management in Brooks on Tuesday afternoon.
Doug O'Halloran of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which represents workers at the XL Foods’ plant in Brooks, said that the meeting was positive.
"We talked with JBS and XL in regards to their training and what have you, that they're going to be doing over the next few days and I'm quite happy with some of the things they indicated and I think it's going to be good for the workers, it's going to be good for the plant. They seem very positive so I think that it's a step in the right direction with the CFIA giving clearance for the plant to operate on Monday. This looks like things are coming around," said O'Halloran.
O'Halloran says the new management is indicating that they want to work with the union and their willingness to communicate with the workers is encouraging.
