Ad
Hoc Animal Health Committee
Overview
The Animal Health Act, 2009 (the Act) came into force on January
21, 2010. The Act will require the reporting of specific hazards to the Chief
Veterinarian for Ontario (CVO), once they are identified for inclusion in the
regulations and those regulations are approved by the Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs. Under the Act, hazards include animal diseases, agents,
factors, conditions, environment or other things that, without controls, adversely
affect animal health or cause significant harm to human health.
An ad hoc
Animal Health Committee (Committee) was established on April 14, 2010 to provide
input to the CVO on a proposed hazard reporting regulation under the Act. Specifically,
the Committee will discuss the following:
- Hazards that must be reported
immediately by all persons;
- Hazards that must be reported by laboratories
immediately and others that must be reported periodically; and
- Incidents
or findings that must be reported by veterinarians
The Committee
is made up of the following members:
Chair:
- Dr. Deb Stark, Assistant
Deputy Minister and Chief Veterinarian for Ontario, Ministry of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Affairs
Members:
- Dr. Ian Barker, Regional Director
of the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, Ontario Veterinary College
- Dr.
George Charbonneau, Charbonneau DVM
- Mr. John Dugavell, Wildlife Policy
Adviser, Ministry of Natural Resources
- Mr. Stan Eby, beef producer
- Dr.
Catherine Filejski, Veterinary Consultant - Enteric, Zoonotic and Vector Borne
Diseases, Ministry of Health and Long-term Care
- Dr. Randy Graham, Senior
Manager, Veterinary Services - Dairy, Pfizer Animal Health
- Mr. Craig Hunter,
Senior Vice-President Operations, Burnbrae Farms
- Dr. Reny Lothrop, bovine
veterinarian
- Dr. Beverly McEwen, Veterinary Pathologist and Disease Surveillance
Specialist, Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph
- Dr. Dean Middleton,
Senior Public Health Epidemiologist, Ontario Agency for Health Protection and
Promotion
- Dr. Reg Reed, Mitchell Veterinary Services, Ontario Veterinary
Medical Association Board Member
- Mr. Clare Schlegel, pork producer and
Chair of the National Hog Traceability Initiative
- Dr. Wayne Shewfelt,
Tavistock Veterinarians
- Mr. Kevin Thompson, Executive Director, Association
of Ontario Chicken Processors
- Dr. Lloyd Weber, poultry veterinarian
- Dr.
Scott Weese, Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College
It
is anticipated that the Committee will complete its work within six months.
OMAFRA
intends to engage in a broader public consultation on the regulatory proposal.
Information about the consultation process will be posted on this website when
it becomes available.
FAQs
How were the committee members
selected?
For this Committee, we wanted to ensure we had a broad
range of representation, including:
- animal health experts (veterinarians)
-
a human health expert
- livestock and poultry producers
- livestock
and poultry processors
- animal health researchers
We asked
key industry organizations and other provincial ministries for their recommendations
(Ontario Livestock and Poultry Council, Ontario Veterinary Medical Association,
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ministry of Natural Resources).
The
16 Committee members were selected based on the recommendations, while ensuring
broad representation.
How can I contribute to the discussion on
the proposed hazard lists?
The work of the Committee will not replace
broader consultation on a proposed regulation related to hazard reporting under
the Animal Health Act.
Once the Committee has completed its mandate, we
intend to have broader consultation on a regulatory proposal.
Will
the final report be available?
We don't expect the Committee to release
a report. The Committee will provide input to the Chief Veterinarian for Ontario
that will be considered in the development of a regulatory proposal. Once the
Committee has completed its mandate, we intend to consult broadly with the public
on the specific contents of the regulatory proposal.
