The Ottawa Plant Laboratory

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for delivering federally mandated programs for food inspection, plant and animal health. The Agency relies on high-quality, timely and relevant science as the basis of its program design and regulatory decision-making. Scientific activities inform the Agency's understanding of risks, provide evidence for the development of mitigation measures, and confirm the effectiveness of these measures.

CFIA scientific activities include laboratory testing, research, surveillance, test method development, risk assessments and expert scientific advice. Agency scientists maintain strong partnerships with universities, federal, provincial and international counterparts, as well as industry, in order to effectively carry out the CFIA's mandate.

The Ottawa Plant Laboratory

The Ottawa Plant Laboratory, located at Fallowfield campus, is part of the Ontario Laboratories Network of the CFIA and it is the agency's largest plant laboratory. The lab provides diagnostic, research, and scientific advice services in support of the Plant Health and Seed programs of the CFIA to protect Canada's agricultural and forestry resources. The laboratory also provides diagnostic services to certify Canadian plants, seeds, and plant-derived products for export.

OPL hosts approximately 50 scientific and technical professionals that provide state-of-the-art laboratory analysis, scientific advice and research activities. Research scientists and professionals at this laboratory collaborate with national and international organizations in developing new methods for detecting and identifying plant pests, plant species, and plant varieties. They also serve as subject matter experts on national and international panels to develop international standards, procedures and regulations.

What we do

Diagnostics Plant pathology diagnostics

• Provide regulatory diagnostic services for the identification of plant pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and seed borne viruses in various agricultural commodities intended for import, export, and domestic use in support of the CFIA plant health program.
• Provide regulatory seed health testing and accreditation in support of the CFIA seed program.

Nematology diagnostics

• Provide diagnostic services for the detection and identification of plant-parasitic nematodes in soil, seeds, growing media, plants and plant products.
• Identify the presence of soil contaminating imported and exported commodities and characterization of growing media.

Entomology diagnostics

• Provide detection and identifications of insects, mites and terrestrial molluscs on imported, exported, and domestically moved plants and plant products.
• Provide diagnostic support for surveys to detect changes in the distribution of quarantine pests within Canada.
• Provide diagnostic support to detect new introductions of invasive alien pests that are not already known to be present in Canada or have limited distribution.

Genotyping – Botany diagnostics

• Provide diagnostic services related to identification and verification of plant species and varieties through qualitative detection, quantification, and molecular genotyping of crop species, invasive alien plants, plants with novel traits, and seed.

Seeds diagnostics

• Perform a variety of verification testing methods to monitor the varietal purity and varietal identity of seed in the marketplace to provide confidence in the integrity of the Canadian seed certification system.

Research

Molecular Identification Research Laboratory

• Develop advanced molecular diagnostic methods for cultivar or plant species detection, verification, identification and differentiation.
• Provide validated methods, datasets in support of the diagnostic services.

Pathogen Identification Research Laboratory

• Develop advanced molecular diagnostic methods (such as using genomics) for plant pathogen detection and identification/genotyping for use by diagnostic laboratories and to support other CFIA activities including surveys.

Entomology Research Laboratory

• Develop molecular tools for the identification of insects and development of insect pheromone trapping.

Nematology Research Laboratory

• Develop molecular diagnostic tools for the detection and identification of plant parasitic nematodes.
• Study the biology and distribution of regulated nematodes in Canada.

Quality management

All CFIA laboratories have demonstrated conformance to ISO/IEC 17025, General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. The Standards Council of Canada evaluates our laboratories against this international standard, as a formal verification of the CFIA's capability to produce accurate and reliable results, within our accredited scope of testing. The results are supported by the development, validation and implementation of scientific methods, conducted by highly qualified personnel, using reliable products, services, and equipment, in a quality controlled environment. Participation in international proficiency testing programs further demonstrates that our testing is comparable to laboratories across Canada and around the world.

For further information

The Ottawa Plant Laboratory
3851 Fallowfield Road
Ottawa, ON K2H 8P9
inspection.gc.ca

Learn about other CFIA laboratories.