Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Program change disappoints tender fruit growers

Monday, December 19, 2011

by SUSAN MANN

The federal government’s introduction of a management program for plum pox virus means it has abandoned plans to eradicate the disease, says a spokesman for the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board.

The federal government announced in a press release last week it has earmarked $17 million over five years for a plum pox monitoring and management program designed to mitigate the virus’ spread, minimize its impact on the Canadian tender fruit industry and facilitate industry management of it.

Tender fruit board chair Len Troup says “management means we’re going to live with the disease.”  It also means just “slipping back and observing. It’s a nice way of abandoning the (eradication) program.”

The decision to launch a management program and not continue with eradication was made by the federal government alone “for financial reasons” without agreement from the marketing board, he explains. “They decided that the costs of continuing the (eradication) program was something they didn’t want to continue.”

Troup says the board wanted to carry on with the eradication program and it’s disappointed that isn’t happening. “It isn’t like they’re going to control plum pox. They’re simply going to do a minimal amount of testing just to see if it’s found out of the quarantine area.”

Troup says if the disease moves out of the quarantine area, the government’s solution is to simply expand the quarantine zone.

The management program is being delivered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in two phases, the government’s press release says.

In the first phase, regulatory controls and best management practices will be developed in cooperation with provincial governments. In the second phase there will be ongoing mitigation of the virus’ spread through regulatory controls.

Starting immediately, the CFIA will implement a regulatory control program to mitigate the virus’ spread. A quarantine area has been designated in the Niagara area where plum pox is present. The CFIA will continue doing surveys to find out if the virus is spreading. The quarantine means regulated material, except fresh fruit, can’t be moved outside the designated area.

Plum pox virus is a serious disease of stone fruit, including peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, almonds and ornamental varieties. It doesn’t kill trees but can drastically reduce yields. It’s transmitted from infected trees by aphids or by grafting or budding. It was found in fruit trees in Ontario and Nova Scotia through surveys done by the CFIA in 2000. BF



 

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top