Plant Health Strategy Gives Attention to Climate Change, New Technologies

A draft Plant and Animal Health Strategy for Canada was released today by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Plant and Animal Health Strategy Team._x000D_
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It was drafted together by governments, industry and others who play a role in safeguarding plant and animal health, and proposes to deliver a “more agile and forward-looking, and better structured and coordinated” approach to issues around plant health in Canada._x000D_
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“Protecting the health of plants and animals helps safeguard the food supply, the health of Canadians and the environment, and contributes to economic growth and prosperity,” the draft report reads. “Recent experience shows that although Canada can respond to plant and animal health emergencies and recover, this comes at a substantial cost and not without significant loss of productivity, income, and market access. This experience strongly argues for increasing the emphasis on preventing risks whenever possible, as a more desirable and sustainable approach.”_x000D_
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Taking into account feedback heard through consultations, the draft Plant and Animal Health Strategy will be provided to federal-provincial-territorial ministers of agriculture in July 2017 for their endorsement. It is a key deliverable under the Emergency Management Framework for Agriculture in Canada that was established in July 2016._x000D_
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The draft report notes that Canada’s approach to protecting plant health operates in a context of increasingly complex and continuously changing risks and challenges. The approach must be readily adjustable so that Canada can contend with challenges stemming from, among other factors:_x000D_

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• Increasing movement of people across our borders — citizens, tourists and workers— who may unintentionally bring in plant pests and animal diseases;

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• Growing trade volumes, changing trade patterns and emerging markets, and changing consumer demand for international goods from new sources—which increase known risks or introduce unknown risks of pests and diseases entering Canada;

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• Geographic integration of supply chains—which increases the complexity of risks as plants and plant products traverse or are modified in multiple countries on their way to market;

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• Changing production methods and consolidation of producers — which may increase known risks or introduce new risks;

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• Changing climate — which may result in expanded ranges or populations of existing pests and diseases, and result in new biological and physiological risks; and,

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• Technological changes and advancements — which may increase the ability to predict, detect and monitor risks, but may also challenge the ability of governments to revise regulations quickly enough to address “potential new risks from these technologies.”

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To read the full draft report visit: http://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/accountability/consultations-and-engagement/pahs/draft-for-consultation-purposes/eng/