Survey focuses on plant biosecurity

Most livestock producers in Canada are vigilant about bio-security, especially hog and poultry producers, who must keep diseases like African swine fever and avian influenza out of their barns.

But what are Canada’s grain farmers doing to ward off plant diseases like clubroot? What practices are they using to limit the spread of problematic weeds like waterhemp?

The Canadian Plant Health Council is seeking answers to those questions. It has developed an online survey to gauge grain farming practices and attitudes around biosecurity.

“(Such) practices are critical to protecting farms by preventing and minimizing the spread of plant pests and ensuring that agri-food trade is not disrupted,” the council said in a release. “That’s why the Council is interested in knowing what biosecurity practices are implemented across Canada.”

The survey can be found at https://ca1se.voxco.com/SE/93/biosec/?&lang=en.

The Canadian Plant Health Council was created in 2018. It has a mandate of protecting forests, agricultural crops and other plants from pests, diseases and other risks.

The Council has 11 members, from industry, universities and government. It’s part of the larger Plant and Animal Health Strategy for Canada, a partnership to protect “plant and animal resources from new and emerging risks.”

The Plant Health Council will use the results of the survey to raise awareness and uptake of biosecurity on grain farms.

The short survey is open until June 30.

Participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous.

Contact robert.arnason@producer.com