Mission
To assist in the development and co-ordination of an Ontario strategy to identify, control, prevent and manage Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) and other important livestock and poultry diseases.
Mandate
Livestock and poultry farms in Canada have changed significantly in the past couple of decades. Larger more specialized operations with high levels of investment face crippling losses in the event of a serious disease outbreak.
Across Canada, outbreaks of AI and BSE have demonstrated the harsh Economic and trade realities associated with serious disease outbreaks. Livestock and poultry disease issues internationally further serve as a warning to the vulnerability of the animal production industry to foreign animal disease outbreaks and the potential for adverse human health impacts.
The realization that a disease outbreak in one sector can have serious consequences for many other sectors has led to the formation of Ontario's Livestock and Poultry Council. The Ontario Livestock and Poultry Council,
- Provides a forum for development of a multi-species strategy to assist commodity groups and other stakeholders to prevent, control and manage foreign animal diseases and other important livestock and poultry diseases and conditions and, co-ordinates activities between the food animal sector, associated industries and governments in delivering the strategy;
- Provides a forum for collective leadership for the food animal industry sectors and their stakeholders to mitigate the effects of animal disease outbreak. Learning to work together before an occurrence will facilitate working together in the event of an outbreak;
- Provides a forum for the food animal sector, its suppliers and processors to discuss and develop strategies with government to promote animal health, disease prevention and emergency preparedness and response in the event of a foreign animal disease;
- Provide information, and education regarding issues on matters affecting animal health and disease prevention to producers, industry partners and government;
- Encourages the development of an Animal Health Act or similar legislation in Ontario;
- Continues to encourage adequate funding for the Chief Veterinarian of Ontario (CVO) and the Animal Health Laboratory (AHL);
- Assist with regular disease simulation exercises and facilitates industry education opportunities following each exercise.