Partnership boosts genomics research in plant protection and food safety

Guelph, ON – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the University of Guelph’s Biodiversity Institute of Ontario are forming a partnership to create tools to use genomics and DNA barcoding to improve species identification for early detection of plant pests and mislabelled fish and seafood.

The CFIA is providing $323,000 in funding over 18 months to support this collaboration and to support the development of a program to enhance cooperation between scientists in both organizations, leverage opportunities in genomics to modernize regulatory programs, and prevent entry of invasive plant pests.

Canada is at the forefront of genomics and DNA barcoding for species detection and identification. The ability to accurately detect and identify species is a key component to ensuring a safe and accessible food supply and plant resource base. More information about DNA barcoding is available here.

“Our partnership with the CFIA will enable the University of Guelph to leverage opportunities in genomics that will modernize regulatory programs,” Malcolm Campbell, vice-president, research, University of Guelph. “We look forward to the exciting outcomes of this world-class scientific collaboration.”