Feds Appoint New Chief Veterinary Officer

Jan 08, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The Canadian government named a new chief veterinary officer who will lead the country’s animal and veterinary public health activities.

Dr. Harpeet S. Kochhar was announced Tuesday as Canada’s new chief veterinary officer, replacing Dr. Ian Alexandar, who will now serve in a new post as the Executive Director of Animal Health Science for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Kochhar has been with the CFIA since 2002 in various capacities, including senior Animal Biotechnology Policy Specialist and having worked in the CFIA’s Science Branch. He is a veterinarian by trade, and holds a Master’s degree in Veterinary Science and a PhD in biotechnology.

Prior to 2002, Kochhar worked as a veterinarian in private practice and was a professor at the University of Guelph’s Veterinary College. He also has experience working internationally with the World Organization for Animal Health and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

Canada’s chief veterinary officer plays a pivotal role in providing advice to the government on animal and veterinary public health issues, which includes managing disease threats.

Video: A new era in biostimulants and bionutritionals

In response to the growing need for efficient, effective biosolutions, HGS BioScience continues to expand its footprint in the bionutritional and biostimulant market with the acquisition of NutriAg, Ltd. The Paine Schwartz Partners-backed HGS BioScience is a global leader in humic and fulvic acid products. Toronto-based NutriAg is an innovator in bionutritional technologies with a deep R&D engine. North American growers and retailers will benefit from:

• Solutions across the biostimulant spectrum - including humics, fulvics, bionutritionals, carbohydrate chelation, amino acids, plant and seaweed extracts, and microbial technologies.
• A portfolio and R&D pipeline of science-backed solutions proven to drive crop productivity and farm profitability.
• Actionable nutrient insights and recommendations based on data specific to their farm and cropping goals with the NutriAnalytics platform