News release
CANADA'S NEW GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES $475,000 IN FUNDING FOR THE CANADIAN NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION
RICHMOND, British Columbia, November 24, 2006 - Ed Fast, MP (Abbotsford, B.C.), on behalf of the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today announced $475,000 in funding to help support the creation and implementation of a nation-wide certification program designed to prevent, control and manage the spread of invasive plant pests.
Funding for this initiative is provided to the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA) under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program.
"Canada's New Government is committed to help Canada's wholesale nursery grower industry remain competitive on the global stage," said Mr. Fast. "A nation-wide certification program is a key step in protecting our valuable agricultural and environmental resources from invasive pests."
This program will be developed and implemented in consultation with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and will deliver nursery staff certification training, as well as required training for third party auditors. It is estimated that up to 300 nurseries across Canada will be registered to participate in the certification programs within the next five years.
"The industry has a responsibility to control the movement of invasive plant pests, but traditional methods are no longer viable," said Paul Olsen, President of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association. "Only through a cooperative approach between industry and government will we be able to control potentially serious threats to Canada's wholesale nursery grower industry."
The CNLA is a national trade association co-ordinating provincial member groups in the Canadian ornamental horticulture industry. The association continues to promote and advance the application of integrated pest management in Canadian nurseries.
For more information on the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, please visit www.canadanursery.com. More information on the ACAAF program is also available online (www.agr.gc.ca/acaaf).
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For more information, media may contact:
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-759-7972
1-866-345-7972
Jeff Howard
Press Secretary
Minister Strahl's Office
613-759-1059
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