Packer

[ALICIA]

Another small packer in Ontario is under suspicion.
In Kingston a small packer working out of the Corectional ficility is had a allegation made against his handling practises. The goverment and health afficials jumped in and shut him down. They said on the new that they have not found anything but he is shut down until they look and if any thing is found the opp will be called in and in the mean time soom farmers will have the sell their cattle some were else.
Just allegations are putting plants in jeopardy, If they keep working towards shutting the small plants down in Ontario we will soon be in the same boat on not being able to get any thing killed eather.
The Pittsburg Corectional Ficilaty in Kingston feeds all inmates in the area and sells beef out side the ficility also. They were told, they have to get the steak for the inmates soom were else.

[cowman]

I don't know all the details but if they shut him down they probably had a very good reason. Food Safety is important to everyone and we need to become more vigilant rather than less. If it turns out they were breaking some rules the inspection agency needs to come down on them like a ton of bricks. The plant that was accused of basically using roadkill should be shut down permanently, IF they can prove it! And the owner should get a holiday in Kingston!
Think about this Alicia...Would you really want to be eating meat that was butchered by a criminal? Maybe a pedophile or some sleaze like Paul Bernardo? And then maybe learn that the inspection wasn't right up to snuff? Maybe it's time we started paying our food service workers a little more so we don't end up with the dregs of society handling our food?

[Bruce14]

I certainly don't know the details either but I agree with Cowman. Convicted criminals should be in the food service industry. A better job would be picking garbage or other physical labor instead of watching Oprah and going to the weight room.

[Bruce14]

Clicked too soon on above post. It should read, Convicted criminals should NOT be in the food service.

[dalek]

For one thing, this is a minimum security prison. These aren't hardened criminals, they're guys that are in for minor crimes, tax evasion, small amounts of drug possession, drunk drivers who were lucky enough to never kill anyone. All guys who will be back on the streets and eligible to work just about anywhere in a year anyway so why not teach them something useful instead of having them watch tv for their sentences? For another thing, the owners have had their operation shut down AND NO ONE will tell them what the allegations against them ARE, just that there are allegations.

[Bruce14]

Obviously they were sloppy once and the second time it may be with someone's food. As food producers we should be concerned how our product is handled every step of the way.

[dalek]

The allegations aren't even supposed to be about the prisoners, they have SOMETHING to do with government inspection of the meat but nobody will say how.

[ALICIA]

The Pittsburg Instituion is a farming opportation and has been so for at least 50years or more. We in Kingston have 2 instituion, one is a very big dairy opperation and the other is beef. They have their own herds, both dairy and beef at these instituion.
A farmer from out side talked to them about starting a feed lot and slotter opperation, so they could be self sefiction and any extra would be sold out side the instituion. This benifiter both the local farmer and the inmates.
They have a beef opperation at Mericville also, and the first time I knew this was they bought a bull off test from me. The beef they raise at Mericsville was sent up to the Pittsburg instituion to be killed and dressed.
So far I have heard nothing more.