Federal government pledges more than $13 million to animal health, disease readiness

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Published: October 8, 2024

,

Federal government pledges more than $13 million to animal health, disease preparedness

National animal health and disease preparedness has received an influx of more than $13 million in federal cash.

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MP Francis Drouin announced the funding at the Animal Health Canada (AHC) forum in Ottawa this morning.

The money will be split between AHC’s three divisions: Emergency Management, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System.

Up to $3.53 million is earmarked for animal health surveillance. In a news release, the government said AHC would expand its surveillance networks and shift to a “One Health approach” with the aim to reduce the impacts of potential disease outbreaks.

According to the World Health Organization, a One Health approach considers human, animal and environmental health and incorporates experts from each field.

A further $5,000,000 was pledged to improve emergency management practices through developing plans; training industry staff and producers; and testing industry preparedness.

AHC will also receive $4.81 million to update, amend, and review several NFACC codes of practice.

About the author

Jonah Grignon

Jonah Grignon

Reporter

Jonah Grignon is a reporter with GFM based in Ottawa, where he covers federal politics in agriculture. Jonah graduated from Carleton University’s school of journalism in 2024 and started working full-time with GFM in Fall 2024, after starting as an intern in 2023. Jonah has written for publications like The Hill Times, Maisonneuve and Canada’s History. He has also created podcasts for Carleton’s student newspaper The Charlatan, Canada’s History and Farm Radio International in Ghana.

explore

Stories from our other publications