Increasing Competitiveness In Ontario’s Agri-Food Industry

McGuinty Government Moving Forward On Farm Animal Health and Traceability Initiatives

Ontario is consulting on proposed farm animal health initiatives that will further protect public health, enhance our food safety system, increase consumer confidence, and increase the competitiveness of Ontario’s agri-food industry.

The proposal includes development of legislation that would help prevent, or minimize the impact of, animal health emergencies.

Animal health legislation would help farmers by improving detection and response to animal health risks.  This would support the competitiveness of the livestock and poultry industries and enhance consumer confidence in Ontario food.

If introduced and passed, the proposal for legislation could also provide a framework for a traceability system that would provide consumer assurance and strengthen market opportunities for Ontario’s agri-food industry.

Information on the development of animal health legislation is now available on the ministry’s website, the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry, and the Regulatory Registry.  Until July 20, 2009, stakeholders are encouraged to review the information and provide comments, which will be considered as legislation is developed.

QUOTES

“I believe these initiatives will enhance and strengthen the competitiveness of Ontario’s agri-food industry, help protect public health and enhance food safety systems for Ontarians.”
- Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs   

“Past events show us how animal and human health are so closely connected.  If introduced and passed, the proposal for animal health legislation would help us better protect animal health, and its potential impact on human health in Ontario.”
- Dr. Deb Stark, Chief Veterinarian for Ontario

“We are supportive of moving forward with animal health initiatives. The ability to trace and track animal movement is an integral part of an effective biosecurity system.  Being able to quickly isolate potentially infected animals and locations is extremely important in reducing the spread and economic impact of any livestock and poultry disease.”
- Gord Coukell, Chair, Ontario Livestock and Poultry Council

QUICK FACTS

• Ontario’s agri-food industry is a key contributor to the strength of the province’s economy.
• The sector is the largest agri-food industry in the country, contributing more than $30 billion to the economy every year, and employing more than 700,000 people.

LEARN MORE

• Proposal for Animal Health Legislation for Ontario
• About Ontario’s traceability initiatives
• About Ontario’s livestock and poultry health initiatives
• For more information, interested parties can contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at:

            Phone: 1-877-424-1300
            Northern Ontario Regional Office: 1-800-461-6132
            E-mail: animalhealth@ontario.ca

Backgrounder

Animal Health And Traceability Initiatives In Ontario

Animal Health

If introduced and passed, Ontario’s proposal for legislation would complement the numerous programs and initiatives already in place supporting animal health, including:

• Funding for the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph to support testing for diseases that affect farm animals and public health.
• Memoranda of Understanding with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to help manage animal health emergencies and mitigate impacts.

• Partnerships with the federal government under the Growing Forward initiative to help prevent farm-level risks associated with animal disease.
• Funding for the Veterinary Clinical Education program at the University of Guelph.

Traceability

Traceability is the ability to track and follow food, feed, food-producing animals or substances and their associated history through all stages of production and distribution.   A comprehensive field-to-fork traceability system can improve the ability to react more quickly and control risks during emergencies such as animal disease outbreaks and food safety recalls.  Comprehensive traceability is also rapidly becoming a requirement of domestic and international markets. By investing in traceability, Ontario’s agri-food industry will be more competitive and sustainable. 

Ontario is advancing agri-food traceability through:

• The recently announced Food Safety and Traceability Initiative (FSTI), which provides cost-share funding to individual facilities to help enhance and document traceability systems and food safety programs. This four-year, $25.5-million federal-provincial program will enable Ontario's farmers and food processors to continue to put in place the building blocks for a comprehensive traceability system.
• Support to OnTrace, a not-for-profit industry-led corporation mandated to lead agri-food traceability initiatives in the province. OnTrace has developed the Ontario Agricultural Premises Registry (OAPR), a system to uniquely identify agri-food premises in Ontario that can be used by industry (to verify product origins and support movement tracking from farm to field) and by government (for emergency management).

• Plans for a forum this fall to continue discussions with agri-food industry stakeholders on moving forward together more aggressively on voluntary traceability initiatives.

For more information, contact:

Sherry Persaud, Minister's Office, 416-326-6439
Brent Ross, Communications Branch, 416-326-9342