Gov't Moving to Keep Farm Disease Outbreaks Secret
Changes to Animal Health Act, said to protect public, slammed by NDP, privacy commissioner.
By Andrew MacLeod, Today, TheTyee.ca
Making information about diseases on British Columbia farms secret will better protect the public, said Agriculture Minister Don McRae. The NDP's critic on the file, Lana Popham, said that approach is unfair to consumers and to other farmers.
"We want the producers to make sure they are submitting samples voluntarily," McRae said in a May 10 interview. "We'd hate to have a scenario where farmers are fearful that the data they give government would be used in a way that's out of their control." The measures are included in the Animal Health Act, which got second reading in the Legislature on May 2 and is expected to pass by the end of the month.
Farmers may choose to hide disease outbreaks if they believe the information will become public, McRae said.
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Changes to Animal Health Act, said to protect public, slammed by NDP, privacy commissioner.
By Andrew MacLeod, Today, TheTyee.ca
Making information about diseases on British Columbia farms secret will better protect the public, said Agriculture Minister Don McRae. The NDP's critic on the file, Lana Popham, said that approach is unfair to consumers and to other farmers.
"We want the producers to make sure they are submitting samples voluntarily," McRae said in a May 10 interview. "We'd hate to have a scenario where farmers are fearful that the data they give government would be used in a way that's out of their control." The measures are included in the Animal Health Act, which got second reading in the Legislature on May 2 and is expected to pass by the end of the month.
Farmers may choose to hide disease outbreaks if they believe the information will become public, McRae said.
...
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