[UPDATED] Chicken Farmers of Canada says it’s glad to hear the federal government commit to cracking down on spent fowl fraud, an issue it says has cost the sector millions.
“The issue of spent fowl misrepresentation is one that demands decisive action,” said Kody Blois, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food and rural economic development, and David J. McQuinty, federal minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, in a March 20 joint statement.
“This is fraud and it undermines consumers, our farmers, distorts our markets, and puts Canadian jobs at risk.”
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Spent fowl misrepresentation is a form of food fraud that occurs when broiler chicken for import into Canada is intentionally labelled as spent fowl (old laying hens). Spent fowl is duty and tariff free when imported from the United States. Broiler chicken is not.
The duty free regulation is agreed upon under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
“Canadian chicken farmers have long advocated for decisive measures to address this issue,” Chicken Farmers of Canada said in a news release on Thursday.
“At its peak, fraudulent imports of spent fowl cost Canada 1,400 jobs, $105 million in economic contributions, $35 million in taxes, and at least $66 million in government revenues annually.”
“In 2020, Canada imported the equivalent of 77 per cent of the U.S.’s entire spent fowl production – despite the fact that the U.S. exports spent fowl to countries other than Canada, and that there is also a substantial American domestic demand for spent fowl meat,” the organization said on its website. “Clearly something is amiss.”
Chicken Farmers of Canada said it expects the commitment will mean DNA testing to distinguish between spent fowl and broiler chicken meat.
“Research funded by Chicken Farmers of Canada, in collaboration with Trent University, has already developed a reliable DNA test to accurately differentiate between the two types of meat,” it said.
Since 2010, CBSA and CFIA inspections and verifications have resulted in over $361 million in duties, interest and penalties on misdeclared spent fowl, the federal government said in the statement.
