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Protection of Canada’s plant resource base is integral to the
Canadian food supply and critical to the environment, social objectives and the
economy. The Canadian Food Inspection
Agency’s (CFIA’s) Plant Health Program plays an important role in minimizing
and managing risk by protecting Canada's plant resources (crops and forests)
from regulated pests and diseases.
- The CFIA has the mandate under the Plant
Protection Act to
protect Canada’s plant resources. The CFIA’s Plant Health Program utilizes
numerous measures to identify and reduce threats to the plant resource base,
ranging from surveys and movement control to eradication and emergency response. In addition, the
program aims to sustain the marketability of Canadian plants and plant products
by maintaining or enhancing Canada’s reputation for being free of certain pests
and diseases and meeting international quality standards for plant products.
The CFIA’s Plant Health Program is an important component of the Government of
Canada’s response to invasive alien species.
- The
numerous possible pathways for entry of plant diseases into Canada, together
with the potential environmental and economic impacts of the spread of a plant
pest, make protecting Canada’s plant resources a significant challenge that
must continue to be actively addressed by the CFIA. Globalization has resulted in more
commodities from higher-risk markets being imported into Canada, thereby
increasing Canada's exposure to new threats and increasing the introduction of
new vectors for disease transmission. The CFIA's Plant Health Program is continuously updating and
adjusting to respond to risks caused by expanding global trade with the most
effective risk management strategies possible using available resources.
- In 2008 the
Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducted an audit to examine whether the
Agency adequately manages the risk that invasive alien plants, seeds, plant
pests, and plant diseases could enter or become established in Canada. The audit looked at how the CFIA sets and administers standards, conducts pest
surveys and plant health risk assessments, and verifies that imports of plants
and plant products meet Canadian requirements. In December 2008 the OAG
presented its findings in its Chapter 4 report entitled “Managing Risks to
Canada’s Plant Resources – Canadian Food Inspection Agency”. The Auditor General found that the
CFIA’s approach for plant and plant product imports requires a more enhanced,
integrated risk-management approach and highlighted a number of significant
vulnerabilities. The CFIA agrees with these findings and has developed the Management
Action Plan to Achieve an Effective Risk-based Management Approach to Plant and
Plant Product Imports in response to recommendations contained in the OAG
report.
- On June 2,
2009, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) considered the findings
of the Chapter 4 of the Auditor General’s December 2008 Report and the CFIA’s
Management Action Plan and progress in addressing the OAG recommendations. On
June 19, 2009, the Committee tabled its report entitled “Chapter 4, Managing
Risks to Canada’s Plant Resources – Canadian Food Inspection Agency of the
December 2008 Report of the Auditor General of Canada”.
- The
Government of Canada is pleased to respond to the PACP report relating to
managing risks to Canada’s plant resources by the CFIA. The Government has
considered the Committee’s recommendations and is committed to addressing the
recommendations of both the PACP and the OAG.
RECOMMENDATION 1 & 2
The
CFIA provide a detailed and technical action plan to the Public Accounts
Committee by 31 December 2009.
The
CFIA provide the Public Accounts Committee with an interim status report on its
progress in implementing that action plan by 30 June 2010, and that additional
status reports be submitted to the Committee annually until the recommendations
contained in the audit are fully implemented.
- The
Government agrees with both recommendations. The CFIA is committed to
finalizing a detailed and technical action plan to address both the OAG and
PACP recommendations. Work in support of this recommendation has already begun.
The detailed action plan will be provided to the Standing Committee by December 31, 2009.
- In addition,
an initial status report on the CFIA’s progress on the implementation of the
detailed action plan will be provided by June 30, 2010. Annual updates will be provided thereafter by June 30th each year.
RECOMMENDATION
3
In
the interim status report provided to the Committee, the CFIA include a summary
of the progress it has made in reducing the risk assessment backlog, and in
implementing a formal risk-based approach for pest surveys in order to identify
new threats.
- The
Government agrees with this recommendation. The CFIA has already begun to
develop a new streamlined risk assessment process for plant pests and diseases
that is based on an internationally accepted model. Implementation of this
streamlined process will assist the CFIA in prioritizing and reducing the backlog
in risk assessments which the Agency has committed to resolve by March 31, 2010. The CFIA has also initiated the development of a formal risk and
priority-based identification and resource allocation approach for plant pest survey
delivery and is committed to have in place an internationally accepted set of
risk criteria by December 31, 2009 for application in the next survey season of
2010-11. The Agency will provide PACP more information on its planned actions
to address this recommendation in the detailed action plan which will be
submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of
this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report.
RECOMMENDATION
4
The
CFIA proceed with implementation of a quality assurance program, and that the
CFIA include quality assurance assessments of its import inspection practices
in the interim status report.
- The
Government agrees with this recommendation and commits to proceeding with the
development and implementation of a quality management system within the Plant
Health Program. The Plant Health Program quality management and informatics
system will be similar to those in place for other CFIA programs and will
better provide assurances that the import component of the Plant Health Program
is designed to effectively manage risks to Canada’s plant resources and that it
operates as intended. The quality management system and National Training
program will build upon policies and procedures outlined in the Plant Health
Import Inspection Manual, revision of which was completed in May 2009. The
CFIA has since initiated associated inspector training sessions to ensure
consistency in both the interpretation and application of the Plant Health
Import Inspection Program standards and procedures. The Agency will provide
PACP with more information on its planned actions to address this
recommendation in the detailed action plan which will be submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report.
RECOMMENDATION
5
In
addition to identifying overall information management needs, the Plant Health
Program explore the possibility of reforming its information management using
existing technologies that are currently at its disposal, and that CFIA include
a summary of their progress in updating information management and technology
in the interim report.
- The
Government agrees with this recommendation. Plant Health Program business
requirements will be reviewed and documented in the context of horizontal
Agency technology initiatives. As part of this process, shorter-term
cost-effective approaches to address Plant Health Program needs in addition to
longer-term measures will be considered. Options will be discussed and an
overall approach to
improve existing processes will be developed. The Agency will provide PACP
more information on its planned actions to address this recommendation in the
detailed action plan which will be submitted by December 31, 2009 and on the progress of the implementation of this plan in the June 30, 2010 interim status report.
RECOMMENDATION
6
The Government
provide the CFIA with ongoing funding to support the Plant Health Program.
- The
Government agrees with this recommendation and provides ongoing funding for the
Plant Health Program. While
the majority of funding for the Plant Health Program is ongoing, a segment of
the funding is subject to review before renewal. Such a time-limited approach to
funding is utilized for new and evolving plant health programs such as the
Invasive Alien Species program, Plum Pox Virus and addressing other plant pest
emergencies. This
is consistent with good financial management as it ensures that funds are
allocated to the highest priority areas given the constantly evolving nature of
the risks to plant health in Canada.
- The
Government continually reviews its programs to identify ways to improve and
make them more efficient. As part of this ongoing process, steps will be taken to develop a
more strategic and modernized Plant Health Program within CFIA that is better positioned
to meet current and future plant health challenges. This process will also
inform CFIA management of the Plant Health Program resources.
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