Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Jan 25, 2023

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is looking for a new leader.

According to media outlet Real Agriculture, President Siddika Mithani left the position suddenly after she sent a letter to colleagues and industry partners informing them of her retirement from public service.

Organizations including the National Farmers Union sent a letter to Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau last fall asking that Mithani be replaced over concerns about communications between the CFIA and CropLife Canada in drafting regulations regarding gene-edited crops.

The CFIA president supervises the agency, its staff, and its programs, reporting to both the Minister of Health and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food on issues related to plant health, animal health, food safety, and international trade.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.