ONTARIO: The meat of the matter

17.sep.10
Ottawa Citizen
Tony Lofaro

A Carlsbad Springs man charged under Ontario's food safety law says he will fight the charges against him on constitutional grounds.
Mark Tijssen, a major in the Canadian Forces, was charged with running an unlicensed slaughterhouse, failing to have an animal inspected both before and after slaughter and distributing meat. The charges arose after a friend left Tijssen's property on Nov. 11, 2009, with about 18 kilograms of pork from a pig they had slaughtered.
Tijssen was in Provincial Offences Court on Thursday, when a judge set a date of Feb. 14 for his trial.
"This is important because this speaks to the very rights and freedoms we should have in this country and that are guaranteed by our Charter of Rights to feed ourselves," said Tijssen, who is representing himself in the case.
"Neighbours and friends getting together to slaughter livestock to prepare and process their own food is a practice as old as humanity. Somehow, in Ontario, that has been reduced to a requirement to have this corporately done for you. It's become illegal to eat anything but corporately produced food. I take exception to that."
Under Ontario's Food Safety and Quality Act, it is permissible to butcher an animal if the food is for personal use. This allows farmers to raise their own food. It is against the law to distribute the meat to anyone else.
If found guilty, Tijssen could face up to $100,000 in fines.