WHEREAS the Canadian Cattle Industry has taken the necessary steps to protect the consuming public from the possibility of being affected by diseases carried by cattle, including e. coli and BSE, by identifying diseased cattle and specified risk materials that are not to enter the food chain; AND WHEREAS the disposal of specified risk materials and other animals not suitable for any form of consumption is a drain on the cattle industry and a cost and management issue for local government in their efforts to effectively manage solid waste disposal: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities lobby the provincial government to adopt policies ensuring the waste of specified risk materials is at least cost neutral to local government and the cattle industry; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities lobby the provincial government to adopt policies supporting the pilot projects designed to develop an economic value in the disposal of specified risk materials.
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Standards and protocols for safe handling and disposal of specified waste material are set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency CFIA. Additional changes to these standards and protocols are expected before the near future. Government is aware of the specified risk material disposal issues faced by industry and local governments and the need for cost effective solutions. Government is supporting the development and implementation of provincial and regional strategies for dealing with specified risk material, working with both industry and local governments. Government provided a 5 million grant to the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia in support of the Livestock Waste Tissue Initiative the Initiative. The management committee for the Initiative is comprised of producer, processor, local government and provincial agency representatives. The Initiative is funding pilot projects for specified risk material disposal, some of which may lead to legal disposal options that cost less and create products of economic value. The Initiative also has funding to assist industry and local governments in implementing disposal strategies to meet the new CFIA regulations, once adopted.