Edouard Asnong, Chairman, NFACC
Edouard Asnong has long been involved in the agriculture sector, taking over his family’s commercial hog finishing operation in the mid-1970s.
In 1985, Edouard began to represent the interests of hog farmers, serving as a Director with the Fédération des producteurs de porcs du Québec (FPPQ) for the region of St-Hyacinthe. He was 1st Vice-President of the FPPQ for over ten years. Nationally, he served as President of the Canadian Pork Council from 1997 through to 2004, and as 1st Vice-President from 2004 to 2006.
Edouard currently holds several national positions. He is the Chair of Canada Pork International and has been Chair of the National Farm Animal Care Council for the past five years. Edouard also served as Chair of the Canadian Pork Council’s Animal Care Committee during the time the Animal Care Assessment tool was developed and implemented.
He and his wife Micheline and their family reside in Pike River, Québec.
Robin Horel, President and CEO of Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council (CPEPC) and Vice Chair of NFACC
Robin Horel has been the President and CEO of CPEPC since May of 2003. CPEPC is a national trade organization representing more than 170 Canadian poultry processors, egg processors and hatcheries. CPEPC member companies, some being the largest agri-food corporations in Canada, process over 90% of Canada's chicken, turkey, eggs and hatching eggs. This economic activity generates $5 billion in retail sales. CPEPC members have invested over $1.5 billion in plants and equipment, and directly employ more than 18,000 Canadian workers.
Previously, Robin worked for Maple Leaf Foods and its predecessor, Canada Packers Poultry, for 27 years. Robin’s career with Maple Leaf was spent entirely in the poultry industry, and included various management roles in sales, operations, procurement and industry relations from Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Throughout his career, Robin has served in Director and Chairman roles on various industry related Boards. Robin is currently the Vice Chair of NFACC.
A native of Saskatoon, Robin and his wife Leah have two daughters.
Jackie Wepruk, General Manager, NFACC
Jackie Wepruk has been the General Manager of the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) since its inception in 2005. Prior to this, she did project-based work with the Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) Association and industry groups, advancing farm animal welfare. Projects included two Alberta horse welfare reports, a “downer” benchmarking project, and initiatives to enhance the handling of cull dairy cows. She was also the writer of the Livestock Welfare INSIGHTS publication for many years.
Jackie facilitates the NFACC member partnership that includes governments, farmed animal industries, the veterinary community, the humane movement and other allied groups. She assists NFACC’s partners in achieving practical solutions to farm animal welfare concerns, addressing the interests of farmers, domestic and export markets, governments and the Canadian public.
In 1985 Jackie obtained her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Winnipeg, and in 1999, a M.Sc. of Environmental Design from the University of Calgary.
Catherine Scovil, Associate Executive Director, Canadian Pork Council
Catherine Scovil has worked for over 20 years in the agriculture association field and is currently the Associate Executive Director of the Canadian Pork Council (CPC). During her time at the CPC, Catherine has facilitated the development and implementation of two core national hog industry programs and their delivery structures: CQA, the on-farm food safety program and ACA, the Animal Care Assessment initiative. She also works on risk management and international trade.
Catherine has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Guelph. She has also recently completed the Management Development Program for Women at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Ron Maynard, Vice-President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
Ron Maynard is a partner in a dairy farm in Tyne Valley P.E.I. He joined the family farm in 1982 and expanded from 25 milking cows to the present 150.
A McGill University graduate, Ron has been actively involved in the dairy industry at the provincial and national levels. He has been President of the P.E.I. Dairy Producers and Chair of the P.E.I. Milk Marketing Board. At the national level, Ron was a member of the Board of Directors of the Dairy Bureau of Canada before serving on the Board of Directors of Dairy Farmers of Canada in 1995. He was re-appointed to DFC in 2000. He was elected to the Executive Committee in July 2008 and chairs DFC’s Sustainable Development Task Force.
Ron participated on the Code of Practice Development committee for dairy from 2007 to 2009.
Ron and his wife Liz have three daughters.
Susie Miller, Director General, Sector Development and Analysis Directorate at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Susie Miller has the responsibility for working with the Canadian agriculture and food industry on issues of marketing, competitiveness and industry development. She is the lead for the Canadian government in working with industry and other levels of governments to develop and implement traceability systems, starting with livestock and poultry. Ms. Miller has worked in the agriculture field for over 30 years, mainly for government, but also for industry associations.
She has a Master of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph, Canada.
Dr. Anne Marie de Passillé, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr. Anne Marie de Passillé is a researcher in dairy cattle behavior and welfare at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre at Agassiz in British Columbia. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Laval in Quebec.
Dr. de Passillé has worked on many aspects of animal welfare in swine, beef and dairy cattle. Her current research areas are in lameness in dairy cows and better management for high milk fed and group-housed dairy calves. Dr. de Passillé is the principal investigator on a large national research project developing an on farm cow comfort assessment tool in Canada. She is on the Canadian Council for Animal Care (CCAC) subcommittee for farm animals. She was on the CCAC committee that developed guidelines for the care of farm animals used in research and teaching. She is involved in collaborative research internationally and has authored or co-authored over 100 per reviewed scientific articles. Click here for a link to published articles.
Anne Marie has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry , a M.Sc. in Nutrition and completed her Ph. D. on the suckling behaviour of piglets. All degrees are from McGill University.
Dr. Ed Pajor, Professor, Animal Behavior and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Production Animal Health, University of Calgary
Dr. Ed Pajor is recognized internationally for his research in the areas of swine, dairy and poultry behavior and welfare as well as expertise in animal welfare standards and legislation. Prior to joining the faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Pajor spent 10 years on faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University.
Dr. Pajor has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Animal Science as well as Applied Animal Behavior Science and as the US representative to the International Society of Applied Ethology. Dr. Pajor also provides scientific expertise to numerous organizations including the McDonald’s Animal Welfare Panel, the National Pork Board’s Animal Welfare Committee, the Calgary Stampede, and Humane Farm Animal Care.
Ed completed his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biology, specializing in animal behaviour, from McGill University.
Geoff Urton, Animal Welfare Manager, British Columbia SPCA
Geoff Urton is the BC SPCA’s Animal Welfare Manager and is the national lead on farm animal initiatives for the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
He puts his background in animal science and behaviour to work in a variety of policy settings through stakeholder processes at every level of government. Recent projects include participation on the Code of Practice Development committees for dairy and beef cattle, the NFACC Animal Care Assessment Model Steering Committee, and the Animal Welfare Working Group for BC on-farm slaughter guidelines.
Geoff has a B.SC. in Agriculture and a M.Sc. in Animal Science from the University of British Columbia.
David Smith, National VP of Retail Strategy and Sustainability, Sobeys, Inc.
David Smith’s role with Sobeys is focused on retail and business strategies for sustainability. David participates in industry sustainability committees in Canada, US, and globally. He is the only representative from Canada on the 20-person global sustainability steering committee of The Consumer Goods Forum (a new association of the 400 largest consumer facing retailers and manufacturers such as Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, P&G, Unilever, Nestle). He has also serves on the steering committee of the Global Packaging Project, engaged in the GS1 product bar coding initiative, and participates in the Global Social Compliance Program.
Prior to Sobeys, David was National VP of Marketing for Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas. In this position, he was on the Organic Trade Association marketing committee. He was also on the inaugural Wi-Fi industry marketing committee while with a California-based wireless networking start-up. And, David has worked for McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada and was with a developing country master franchisee for Pizza Hut and KFC.
David has spoken at sustainability conferences across Canada, in the USA, France and China. Sustainability topics include carbon footprints, waste management and packaging, seafood, agriculture, social compliance, collaborative supply chain initiatives, traceability and consumer transparency, leadership development and sustainability, and driving consumer demand for “green” products.
During his career, David has developed an expertise in driving consumer adoption of new trends from early adopter to the mainstream.
David has a B.Sc. in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto and a M.BA. from McGill University.
Dr. Jeff Rushen, Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr. Jeff Rushen is a researcher in dairy cattle behavior and welfare at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre at Agassiz in British Columbia, Canada. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and the University of Laval in Quebec.
Dr. Rushen has worked on many aspects of animal welfare in poultry, sheep, swine and beef and dairy cattle. His current interests are in lameness in dairy cows and better management for group-housed dairy calves. He is the research representative on NFACC and a member of the North American Food Animal Well-being Commission for Beef. He was an external expert on the European Food Safety Authority working group that recently examined the welfare of dairy cows. Dr. Rushen is on the Canadian Council for Animal Care (CCAC) subcommittee for farm animals. He was on the CCAC committee that developed guidelines for the care of farm animals used in research and teaching. Click here for a link to published articles.
Jeff received his B.Sc. in Psychology and Zoology, and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of Queensland in Australia.
Tianna MacInnes, Senior International Standards Officer, Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
As the Senior International Standards Officer in the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer of Canada, Tianna MacInnes serves as the primary point of contact for the management of the Canada’s contributions to the science based standards for animal welfare and the protection of animal, public and eco-system health published by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
In this capacity, Tianna conducts outreach activities with respect to OIE processes. She coordinates consultations with other federal Departments and Agencies, Provinces, academia and regulated stakeholders within Canada to provide an understanding of the standards and recommendations developed by the OIE.
In complement to these activities, Tianna works with colleagues in the development of Canada’s positions at other international fora including the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee of the World Trade Organization and the Codex Alimentarius of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Tianna holds a B.Sc. in Medical Laboratory Science from the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and a M.Pa. from Dalhousie University.
Kathleen Plowman, General Manager Policy, Australian Pork limited
Ms. Plowman manages the Policy division of Australian Pork Limited. The division is responsible for strategic policy development across a wide variety of policy and regulatory issues, including; animal health and welfare, climate change and environmental sustainability, food safety and product integrity, quality assurance, trade and market access, labour, quarantine and biosecurity, feed security, and emergency management.
As a key point of contact with the industry’s various stakeholders the Policy division seeks to manage and balance the impact of regulatory shifts, as well as changes to government policy and the compliance requirements in Australian markets, while ensuring producers and the industry remain competitive and sustainable.
In the transition period leading to the establishment of Australian Pork Limited, Ms Plowman held the position of acting CEO of the Pork Council of Australia, the Australian pork industry's previous producer representative body. She managed and advanced the industry's interests through strategic policy development and implementation.
Prior to this, Kathleen served as the Policy Director for the Pork Council of Australia and also worked as Policy Director for the Wool Council of Australia.
She began her career at the Reserve Bank of Australia and later worked in business management consulting and training in the financial sector.
Dr. Tina Widowski, Associate Professor, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph
Tina Widowski is Professor of Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science and Director of the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare at the University of Guelph. Her focus is on how housing and management practices affect the behaviour and welfare of poultry and pigs.
Dr. Widowski is a scientific advisor/reviewer for the Canadian Poultry Research Council, the Canadian Pork Council’s Animal Care Working Group, and the Canadian Poultry Welfare Research Centre. She is also on the Scientists Committee for the Canadian Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs, and on the Steering Committee of the National Farm Animal Care Council’s Animal Care Assessment Model. In May 2011 she was named the Egg Farmers of Canada Research Chair in Poultry Welfare.
She earned Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois-Urbana where she specialized in the behaviour and physiology of pigs. After moving to the University of Guelph in 1990, Widowski began working in the area of laying hen welfare.
Penny Lawlis, Humane Standards Officer, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
In her current position, Penny Lawlis routinely conducts audits of handling and stunning at provincial abattoirs and sales barns and works with meat hygiene staff, plant employees and lay inspectors to identify problem areas and develop practical solutions. She also delivers training in animal handling and stunning to several segments of the livestock industry. She is a Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PACCO) certified auditor. Penny and her colleagues have developed and delivered a training and audit program for humane handling of broiler chickens and worked with industry to monitor the benefits of the training.
Penny is involved in several research projects through the University of Guelph looking at novel on-farm euthanasia techniques for pigs and turkeys as well as animal care assessment. Penny is co-chair and founder of the Ontario Humane Transport Working Group – an industry / commodity / cross-agency team dedicated to improving the welfare of livestock during transport through education. She currently serves on the development committee for the Code of Practice for Pigs.
In 2002, Penny received a Queen’s Jubilee Award from the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Guelph where she teaches a graduate level course on practical animal welfare assessment.
Penny holds a Veterinary Technology Diploma from the Centralia College of Agricultural Technology, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and a M.SC. in Farm Animal Welfare and Behaviour from the University of Guelph.
Dr. Terry Whiting, Manager Animal Health and Welfare, Manitoba Agriculture and Food, Veterinary Services Branch
Dr. Terry Whiting has spent 20 of last 25 years working for governments in the areas of food safety and animal health and enforcement of animal care legislation including eight years with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and 12 years with the provincial veterinary infrastructure.
This year, Dr. Whiting received the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Humane Award. This award is presented to an individual whose work is judged to have contributed significantly to the welfare and well being of animals.
Dr. Whiting was on the development committee for the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council horse Code of Practice (1998), the transport Code of Practice (2001) and the Swine Segregated Early Weaning amendment (2003). Currently he is the past Chair of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Committee, and is the provincial representative on the National Farm Animal Care Council.
Dr. Whiting has been an active volunteer with the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association, serving on the board 1998-2003 and was President in 2002. He is frequently published in peer-reviewed journals primarily on humane transportation of animals, animal welfare risks of foreign animal disease outbreaks food safety, emergency preparedness and veterinary public policy. Click here for a link to published articles.
Dr. Whiting graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1984 and in his early professional career he completed a M.Sc. in Equine Exercise Physiology at University of Guelph and was in mixed, primarily food animal practice in Ontario.
Dave Solverson, beef producer and Chair of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association Animal Care Committee
Dave Solverson and his family operate a 2,000 head cow-calf to finish beef ranch at Camrose in central Alberta. A large part of his day-to-day management involves creating an environment as stress-free as possible for his herd. He has found that improving animal care has improved profits.
Dave has been a director of the Alberta Beef Producers for the past six years and is Chairman of the Animal Care committee of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
Dr. David Fraser, Professor, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Animal Welfare in Animal Welfare Program - University of British Columbia
From his childhood on a farm in southern Ontario, Dr. David Fraser has maintained a fascination with animals throughout his 35-year research career. He did research on the welfare of farm animals (Edinburgh School of Agriculture, 1971-1975) and on the behaviour and management of moose (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 1975-1981) before developing a research team on farm animal welfare and behaviour at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa (1981-1997). He joined UBC in 1997 and is currently cross-appointed between the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics.
Dr. Fraser is an enthusiastic teacher who mentors many graduate students and takes the leading role in the award-winning course, "Animal Welfare and the Ethics of Animal Use". He is in high demand as a lecturer off-campus, logging 100,000 km per year in lecture trips.
Dr. Fraser also works with many organizations to find practical ways to improve the lives of animals. He serves on animal welfare advisory boards for many organizations including the Burger King Corporation (Miami), the Food Marketing Institute and National Council of Chain Restaurants (Washington), the World Organization for Animal Health (Paris), and within Canada on the Board of Trustees of the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada and the Animal Welfare Committee of the Vancouver Foundation. In 2004-2005 he served as Visiting Expert on animal welfare at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. Click here for a link to published articles.
David has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Glasgow.