Grains and Oilseeds Biosecurity

How can it add value to your farm?

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What is Biosecurity?

Biosecurity refers to a series of management practices designed to minimize or control the introduction, spread and release of plant pests.

What are the pests that could impact your farm?

Plant pests include weeds, diseases, insects, nematodes, molluscs, bacteria, fungi and viruses.

How does a Biosecurity Management Plan to your farm?

  • Increased yield and quality of crops produced.
  • Additional lines of defense from pests not currently on your farm.
  • Greater land value if documented evidence shows a sound biosecurity management plan.
  • Potential access to new (higher value) markets where biosecurity practices and protocols are required.

What are the major objectives of a Biosecurity Management Plan?

  • Minimizing the potential introduction of a new pest onto your farm.
  • Minimizing the spread of pests within your farm.
  • Minimizing the potential of introducing a pest to someone else's farm.
  • Proactively assessing risk and determining the appropriate course of action.

What tools can you use to implement and strengthen your own Biosecurity Management Plan?

A group of national grains and oilseeds grower associations, provincial governments and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency worked together to produce two valuable tools:

  • The Grains and Oilseeds Biosecurity Standard – a set of target outcomes that relate to critical control points of biosecurity intervention, based on pest introduction and transmission pathways, intended to assist farmers in developing a voluntary biosecurity management plan specific to their farm.
  • The Grains and Oilseeds Biosecurity Guidance Document - A "how-to" guide intended to provide the information and support for the creation of a farm specific biosecurity plan.

These tools are designed for farmers to voluntarily make their own assessment of biosecurity risk and build their individual biosecurity management

Biosecurity is everyone's responsibility. What is your role?

  • To sustain profitability and land value.
  • To protect your neighbour's profitability and land value.
  • To keep your industry sustainable and competitive with other markets.

For more information

Everyone has a role to play in keeping the industry strong and productive. To view a copy of the National Voluntary Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard for the Grains and Oilseeds Industry or for more information on biosecurity, please visit Crop Biosecurity Web page.