News
Canadian Plant Health Council launched

The Canadian Plant Health Council will address priorities for the plant health sector, working together on preventive approaches and activities to protect forests, agriculture and other plants from pests, diseases and other risks.

The council consists of 11 members from national industry associations, academia and federal, provincial and territorial governments representing the plant health sector in agriculture and forestry. The council will develop a focused work plan and over the next two years, advance key priorities, demonstrating what can be achieved through collaboration between governments, industry, and academia.

The members are:

• William Greuel, assistant deputy minister for Regulatory and Innovation with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. (Champion of the council)
• Annette Anderson, director of the Agriculture Development Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. 
• William Anderson, executive director Plant Health and Biosecurity Directorate in the Policy and Programs Branch at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
• Ian Affleck, vice president of plant biotechnology for CropLife Canada. 
• Miles Beaudin, director of Primary Agriculture at Manitoba Agriculture.
• Nathalie Durand, executive director of the Crops and Horticulture Division at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 
• David Feindel, director of Plant and Bee Health Surveillance section within Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. 
• Barry Ford, general manager of Canada Wood Group and marketing director for the Council of Forest Industries. 
• Anthony Hopkin, director of Entomology and Phytosanitary Research at The Pacific Forestry Centre of the Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service.
• Rebecca Lee, executive director of the Canadian Horticultural Council. 
• Krista Thomas, director of plant innovation with the Canada Grains Council. 
• Karin Wittenberg, dean in the faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. 

The Plant and Animal Health Strategy for Canada is an action-oriented strategy focused on risk prevention and collaboration among partners in plant and animal health. It was endorsed in 2017 by all partners, including federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture. A significant first step towards implementation was to establish the 2 separate coordinating councils for plant and animal health. These councils will provide leadership in prioritizing and implementing the potential activities outlined in the strategy.