Performance Reporting

Core Business Area 3: Food Safety and Quality

Goal 3: A food system that provides consumers and customers with greater confidence in the safety and quality of B.C. food, agriculture and seafood products while protecting the provincial economy from risks.

Outcome: High level of domestic and international confidence in B.C. foods.

Profitability and growth within the agriculture, food and fisheries sectors depend on continued access to markets, which is tied to consumer confidence in the safety and quality of B.C. products and production systems.

Measure

Baseline

2003/04 Target

2003/04 Actual

Annual external evaluation of the food system and products by a panel of experts as a proxy for public confidence (e.g.: representatives from Canadian Food Inspection Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, health sector, retail sector, and others.)

Baseline in development

Evaluation report on food system as a proxy indicator of public confidence; report shows positive consumer confidence

Performance measure and
targets refined:

The ministry did not proceed with the evaluation of the food system as planned. Instead, it aligned itself with the comprehensive national survey on consumer perceptions about food safety and food quality that Agriculture and Agrifood Canada initiated. This work supports the APF's commitment to increase consumer confidence in the safety of food. The survey will be conducted in April and May 2004, and results will be available in August 2004.

Objective 1: Maintain public health standards as a result of the agriculture and seafood industries implementing food safety and quality systems for the prevention, early detection and control of plant and animal pests and diseases, and food-borne health risks.

Strategies:

Strengthen prevention programs for diseases and pests of animals and plants, and food-borne health risks.
Identify major animal, plant and fish diseases and pests early, and develop intervention plans to manage these risks without industry incurring major economic losses.
Change existing regulations to define standards expected for the safety of the products, rather than on how to produce them.

Performance Measures and Results

A broad contextual measure of performance is the incidence of gastro-intestinal illnesses, which is also affected by many factors that are beyond the ministry's control.

Measure

Baseline

2003/04 Target

2003/04 Actual

Number of gastro-intestinal illnesses

132 gastro-intestinal illnesses per 100,000 population¹

Maintain or reduce number of gastro-intestinal illnesses per 100,000 population

Target achieved:

In general the rate of gastro-intestinal illnesses in B.C. remains the same. A direct comparison is not possible as there has been a change in BC Centre for Disease Control's reporting requirements and laboratory procedures.


¹	Note: Changes in reporting requirements and laboratory/diagnostic procedures made it impossible to make comparisons with previous years. New performance measures and baselines will be determined for subsequent years.

Activities Related to this Objective:

Early identification and diagnosis of foreign animal disease	Avian influenza was rapidly diagnosed and immediately reported to the CFIA. Further testing identified the flu as H7N3, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) leading to implementation of the foreign animal disease eradication support plan (FADES) and additional identification of spread to 41 poultry premises.
Food safety discussion paper	The ministry is leading development of a discussion paper on food safety, which is examining the roles and responsibilities of B.C.'s food safety players, and identifying the critical points of control and influence so the ministry can position itself for maximum effectiveness.
Adapt surveillance, inspection and tracking systems for animals and feed in wake of the BSE crisis	B.C. is fully engaged with CFIA and industry to implement regulatory changes flowing from the BSE crisis, e.g., removal of specified risk materials from food chain; province collaborating to achieve federal targets for enhanced BSE surveillance, potential changes to feed regulations and enhancements to animal tracking systems.
Pest management	The ministry facilitated nine emergency pesticide registrations that alleviated serious economic impact to the greenhouse vegetable, field vegetable, mushroom, ginseng, berry and apiculture industries. The ministry obtained a biological control agent and developed pest management options for the cereal leaf beetle, which threatens wheat and barley production and the movement of forage, hay and straw.
Controlling the spread of invasive and noxious weeds	The ministry led a review of noxious weed management on Crown lands, which resulted in the creation of the Inter-Ministry Invasive Plant Committee to implement an integrated and efficient invasive plant strategy for Crown land in B.C. in partnership with industry and local communities.
Responding to plant health risks	Ongoing activities to identify new plant diseases and develop management strategies to keep the disease pressure below the economic threshold.

Objective 2: Maintain access to domestic and international markets and protect the provincial economy through pest and disease management, and through on-farm adoption of recognized food safety and quality systems.

Strategies:

Encourage the agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries industries to adopt quality programs directly on their farms or in their processing plants and operations; shift government's role to oversight, audit and risk assessment.
Promote adoption of systems so B.C. products can be traced from production to retail.
Influence federal policies and programs through the APF for food safety programs and reorient federal resources to meet B.C.'s objectives.

Performance Measures and Results

Performance is measured primarily by tracking the development and implementation of on-farm food safety and/or quality systems.

Measures

Baseline

2002/03 Target

2002/03 Actual

Percentage of B.C.'s agriculture and seafood industry organizations developing or implementing an on-farm food safety (OFFS) and quality program

To be developed and confirmed

Program under development

On target:

19 voluntary, industry-led, national OFFS programs are being developed or implemented. Many B.C. agri-food groups are developing or implementing good practices guidelines and OFFS programs.

Separate agricultural and seafood quality programs are under development under provincial legislation.

Note:

Voluntary, industry-led programs will provide assurances and support access to domestic and international markets. These include good practices guidelines, recognized OFFS programs, quality programs and supply chain programs (e.g., traceability). Ministry staff provided information, technical expertise and program development in support of industry-led initiatives. As food safety and food quality information services and resources become available, clients will be better able to develop and implement programs.

Activities Related to this Objective:

Food safety and traceability	The ministry supported the rollout of components of the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program, including its $62-million Systems Development Program and $80-million On-Farm Implementation Program. This will improve traceability and food safety and quality across the food production system.
Program reviews and guidance	The ministry participated in technical reviews of OFFS programs, and federal-provincial food safety processes.
Integrated pest management	The ministry influenced pest management policies and programs and raised awareness of B.C. issues by participating on federal, provincial/territorial, and international committees related to pest and pesticide management.