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By Alice McFarlane

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Jan 3, 2024 | 5:18 PM

A former Saskatchewan agriculture minister was among 78 appointments to the Order of Canada announced by Governor General Mary Simon.

Lorne Hepworth, the current chair of the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario, was recognized for his contributions to agriculture and research.

He was a farmer and veterinarian in Saskatchewan before entering provincial politics during Premier Grant Devine’s government, where he served in several portfolios until 1991.

After his political career, Hepworth moved to Ontario and began working with the Crop Protection Institute and Canadian Agra Group of Companies. He was instrumental in the formation of CropLife Canada and retired as its chief executive officer and president in 2014 after 17 years.

Hepworth has also served as chair of Genome Canada and the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan. His involvement with other institutions includes the Canadian Council of Academies Expert Panel on Sustainable Management of Water in agricultural landscapes, the Scientific Advisory and Governance Committees of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, the advisory board of the National Research Council of Canada’s Plant Biotechnology Institute, the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council and the federal pest management and national biotechnology advisory committees.

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Hepworth was appointed to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2020.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is leading a 60-day public consultation to seek comments on the proposed implementation of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) standard for municipal biosolids imported or sold in Canada as commercial fertilizers.

PFAS are a group of chemicals commonly used since the 1940s in industry and food packaging, textiles, and cosmetics. They can be harmful to people and animals and may damage our soils long term because they don’t degrade.

To mitigate the risks of contamination, CFIA is proposing to implement an interim standard for PFAS in domestic and imported biosolids. The limit of less than 50 parts per billion of perfluorooctane sulfonate will prohibit the importation and sale of biosolids with high PFAS content.

To verify that importers and domestic waste processors comply with the standard, the CFIA will require laboratory results and products that exceed the limit will be subject to regulatory action.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek feedback from growers, farmers, and the public on the implementation of the interim PFAS standard for biosolids.

The comment period closes Feb. 20.

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A survey from Dalhousie University suggests more Canadians are limiting food waste as grocery prices climb higher.

The survey by the university’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggested more people are planning their meals in advance and eating leftovers where possible.

Program coordinator Janet Music said reducing food waste is also good for the environment.

She said cutting back on food waste reduces the amount of food that ends up in landfills, which impacts greenhouse gas levels.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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