The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have announced they will hold a joint teleconference on Thursday, January 14 to review the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) work plan. The Regulatory Cooperation Council is a partnership between U. S. and Canadian national authorities to align strategies for public, animal, and plant health programs in both countries and maintain high levels of protection over these areas.
The first meeting of the RCC Regulatory Partnership Committee between the CFIA and the USDA was held on June 30, 2015 with stakeholders to discuss the RCC Joint Forward Plan, which is a set of bilateral work plans for meat inspection and certification and plant and animal health.
The RCC Regulatory Partnership Committee is seeking involvement from animal and plant health and food safety professionals, as well as consumers as they are the primary beneficiaries of the Joint Forward Plan. The main objectives of the joint teleconference will be:
- To provide an update on the joint work plans;
- To introduce the 2016-2017 work plan process;
- And to provide an opportunity for questions and feedback.
The teleconference will take place at 3:00 p.m. EST on January 14, 2016. Pre-registration is required for the free teleconference. Full details on the RCC’s joint teleconference and pre-registration access is available here.
