Agricultural commodity inspectors’ duties vary depending on the types of products they inspect (for example, fruits and vegetables, meat, or grains). Inspectors may specialize in one or more product types. In general, they:
- Conduct hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) audits to identify potential food safety hazards so they can be reduced or eliminated
- Check sanitation and food safety programs
- Make sure product labels are accurate
- Supervise the seal of containers for export
- Interpret and enforce government acts and regulations
- Explain standards to plant managers
Dairy inspectors:
- Collect samples and test them for microbiological, chemical-residue, and vitamin content
- Register and license dairy plants
- Make sure the transportation and handling of products meet regulatory requirements
Some dairy inspectors work as consultants at dairy plants. They solve problems and assess equipment, products, and systems. They may also specialize in other areas such as plant construction and layout or food safety systems.
Feed inspectors:
- Check feed for harmful chemicals (such as pesticides) and contamination (such as salmonella)
- Investigate feed-related contamination of meat, milk, and eggs
- Inspect commercial feed mills
- Inspect farms that produce medicated feeds
Fruit and vegetable inspectors:
- Inspect fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products, including honey, at all stages of sale except in stores
- Make sure grade packaging and marking rules are followed
- Inspect imported produce for disease and damage and to ensure proper grading and labelling
- Check processing plants for sanitation, quality, and compliance with standards
Meat inspectors work in meat processing facilities. They:
- Assess whether animals are healthy and fit for slaughter
- Inspect carcasses to see if they are fit to eat
- Identify carcasses that may have disease
- Run monitory testing programs
- Inspect facilities to ensure proper sanitation and pest control measures are in place
- Ensure facilities follow federal and provincial regulations for manufacturing, preparing, and packaging meat products
- Ensure that the handling and slaughter of all livestock at their inspected facilities meet government standards for humane treatment
- Collect and prepare samples for laboratory analysis
- Identify non-compliance that impacts food safety, and issue a Corrective Action Request (CAR) to the plant operator, as needed
- Approve products that are safe for consumption and ensure unsafe products are removed
- Monitor facilities’ operation to ensure compliance to regulatory requirements
- Verify and sign off export documents for shipping products to other countries
Poultry inspectors:
- Inspect wholesale businesses, storage facilities, registered egg stations, hatcheries, and egg product plants
- Monitor grading by company employees
- Inspect sanitation procedures
- Certify that finished products meet standards
Plant product inspectors:
- Check plant products at various locations, such as seed-cleaning plants, fertilizer plants, pedigree seed growers, and pesticide stores
- Collect samples for lab analysis
- Ensure pesticide, fertilizer, and seed labels are accurate
- Inspect farmers’ fields for purity of pedigreed seed type
- Establish seed grades
- Label and seal graded seed products
Livestock inspectors work in designated inspection sites, including auction markets, assembly stations, feedlots, and provincial and federal abattoirs (slaughterhouses). They:
- Examine the brands and other identifiers on livestock, and examine livestock manifests, livestock permits, bills of sale, and any other documentation that determines right to possession by the person presenting the livestock for inspection
- Count the livestock
- Withhold the proceeds or prohibit the sale of livestock if ownership is in question
- Impound, identify, and document stray livestock and arrange for the board and maintenance of strays prior to their return or sale
- Assist with the settlement of claims arising from damages caused by stray livestock
- Help RCMP livestock investigators with suspected cases of theft, illegal branding, and unlawful confinement of livestock, and sometimes testify as expert witnesses
- Initiate field responses to any foreign animal diseases or zoonotic diseases (diseases that can jump from animals to humans)
