Policy Initiatives

Regulatory Changes to Fusarium graminerium in Alberta

On June 3, 2020, the Alberta Minister of Agriculture and Forestry signed a ministerial order removing Fusarium graminerium (Fg) from the Pest and Nuisance Control regulation of the Alberta Agricultural Pest Act.

Alberta Grains was supportive of this change at the direction of our farmer members, in accordance with a resolution presented and passed at Alberta Wheat Commission’s 2017 Annual General Meeting resolving that, ‘… the Alberta Wheat Commission lobby the provincial government to change the Alberta Agricultural Pest Act to remove Fg as a declared pest and encourage all farmers to use best management practices to reduce the impact of Fg on their farms.’

Our advocacy on Fg has been transparent and inclusive of the need to approach any regulatory change hand-in-hand with a total, renewed management strategy aimed at managing and mitigating the spread of Fg in the province.

The proposed strategy includes: an emphasis on extension and education of best management practices, surveillance and monitoring, and ongoing research. The previous Alberta Fusarium Management Plan was developed in 2002; there has been a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to work collectively through a revitalized Fusarium Action Committee, co-chaired by the Alberta Grains, to update this plan.

Key Highlights
  • Alberta Grains continue to focus on mitigation and management of fusarium head blight in Alberta
  • Useful resources for farmers, as well as the ongoing strategy for fusarium management in the province, can be found at our fusarium head blight portal, ‘Let’s Manage It’ at managefhb.ca.

For agronomic information contact our Director of Agonomy and Extension Jeremy Boychyn at jboychyn@albertagrains.com