Canada U-S Agriculture Trade Discussed

Apr 22, 2020

Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau spoke to her U-S counterpart on Thursday.

Bibeau and U-S Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue emphasized the importance of agricultural trade and food security.

In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, they affirmed that agriculture and food production are critical infrastructure and underscored the importance of seeing uninterrupted food and agriculture trade across the Canada-U.S. border.

They acknowledged the continued collaboration between the two countries is needed to facilitate our integrated supply chain and to safeguard the health of our industries and our citizens.

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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.