Canada names MacAulay new agriculture minister

Lawrence MacAulay has been named Canada’s new minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. His selection for the position follows the swearing in of the country’s new prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
A longtime member of the Canadian parliament, MacAulay was first elected to the House of Commons in 1988 to represent Cardigan in eastern Prince Edward Island. He recently was elected to that post for the ninth consecutive term.
As the minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, MacAulay will be responsible for overseeing the following organizations:

• Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal
• Canadian Grain Commission
• Farm Products Council of Canada
• Canadian Dairy Commission
• Farm Credit Canada

A former farmer and businessman, MacAulay’s previous Canadian cabinet appointments have included Solicitor General of Canada, Minister of Labor, Secretary of State (Veterans) and Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency).
MacAulay replaces Gerry Ritz as agriculture minister. Also a former farmer, Ritz will continue to play an active role in shaping Canadian policy, as he will remain a member of parliament. Ritz was just elected to a seventh term representing Battlefords-Lloydminster.
Trudeau and MacAulay are members of the Liberal Party of Canada, while Ritz and outgoing prime minister Stephen Harper are members of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Canadian investment in traceability initiative applauded by CPC

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) applauds the $7.5 million granted to Canadian Agri‐Traceability Services (CATS) by the Canadian federal government. The investment will go a long way to helping the pig industry move forward with the development of a world class traceability system, according to the CPC.
“CPC has been a long‐time supporter of a single, national traceability service provider for all livestock species.  By pooling resources and working together, Canada’s livestock industry will have a cost‐effective technical infrastructure to support our traceability programs for many years to come,” stated Normand Martineau, chair of CPC’s PigTrace Canada.  “CPC’s PigTrace program is the one of the first users of the CATS technology, which has been modified to support the needs of the pork sector and PigTrace.”
“Animal health and foreign animal disease preparedness are key priorities for industry" recognized CPC’s chair, Jean‐Guy Vincent.  “The traceability information collected will be used to contain and reduce the spread of foreign diseases so they can be eliminated and this announcement takes the livestock industry one step closer to making traceability a feasible and valuable tool for Canadian producers in every way possible."
The Canadian Pork Council serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, the organization's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.

Avian influenza outbreak in Manitoba flock

H5N2 avian influenza isolate was obtained from a commercial farm located in Rockwood, Manitoba, according to a press release from the Food Inspection Agency of Canada (CFIA).
Initial clinical evaluation suggests that the infection is associated with a virus of low pathogenicity and is not of significance to humans. An epidemiological investigation has been initiated to attempt to determine the source of infection.
The affected flock has been depleted and disposed of and appropriate quarantine precautions have been implemented.

Nine poultry farms added to quarantine in Fraser Valley

Thirty-six poultry production operations across the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, are now under quarantine after inspectors sealed off nine more operations to try to contain an avian flu outbreak in the region.
The disease has been confirmed on only one farm so far although testing and monitoring continue. On Sunday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency quarantined the nine new farms because they received products or equipment from the affected facility. Seven of the newly quarantined farms are outside the three-kilometer restricted zone established as soon as avian flu was suspected at the first farm.
About 60,000 turkeys on the E & H Farms property in Abbotsford were destroyed last week after testing confirmed an H5 strain of the avian influenza virus had infected birds in one of two operations on the site.