Traceability partnership
The governments of Canada and British Columbia are strengthening traceability and biosecurity systems.
B.C. minister of agriculture and lands Steve Thomson and member of Parliament Andrew Saxton recently announced an investment of $3.5 million at an event called Discover Agriculture in the City held in Burnaby, B.C.
“A strong traceability system will help Canadian producers strengthen their businesses and get the premium prices their top quality products deserve,” said Saxton.
Initiatives being funded include:
- $2.04 million for Enterprise Infrastructure Traceability to help producers, farmers, food processors and agri-food businesses with costs to buy and install systems to track products from receiving to shipping. The program consists of animal (product) identification, premises identification and movements recording. The funding will help manage food-borne risks.
- $1.5 million will be allocated to the biosecurity program, which is designed to help producers continue to improve their biosecurity procedures, such as wearing barn-specific clothing and disinfecting farm equipment.
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Under this program the British Columbia Hog Marketing Commission will implement biosecurity standards for 31 farms.
New chair at Bayer
Sandra E. Peterson is expected to become the new chair of the board of management of Bayer CropScience AG. This was decided by the supervisory board of the Bayer subgroup at its meeting April 27.
Peterson will join the subgroup’s board of management on July 1, and succeed Friedrich Berschauer as chair effective Oct. 1.
Peterson has been a member of the executive committee of Bayer HealthCare since May 2005, heading the Medical Care Division since January 2009.
University funding
University of Saskatchewan researchers have been awarded $495,960 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation for five projects that will advance computer technology, help conserve native grasslands, improve wildlife and habitat management, research social responsibility and develop new treatments for cystic fibrosis.
The successful U of S Leaders Opportunity Fund recipients that involve agriculture are:
- Eric Lamb (plant sciences) will research plant-soil relationships and maintenance of healthy grassland ecosystems, key economic and ecological resources in Western Canada. His work will contribute to the successful management of remaining native grasslands threatened by invasive species, rangeland degradation, and potential climate change impacts.
- Philip McLoughlin (biology) will study the ecology and evolution of wild populations of hoofed mammals such as elk, bison and wild horses, research that will be used in wildlife and habitat management to help understand disease transmission among wildlife.
For a complete list of the projects awarded, visit www.innovation.ca.
