Figure: Canadian Agriculture Minister MacAuley meets with FAO Director-General Graziano da Silva in Berlin.

FAO 23 January 2017, Rome-Canada today announced it will contribute an additional $1 million to international bodies that develop the standards for food safety and plant protection.

Lawrence MacAulay, Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, told FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva of the decision while both leaders both leaders were in Berlin attending high-level meetings including Sunday's meeting of agriculture ministers from the G20 countries.

The new investment will go towards the scientific and technical work of the Codex Alimentarius, which develops the standards for food safety, the International Plant Protection Convention, and the World Organisation for Animal Health for their efforts to promote a safe, fair and science-based trading environment.

"The meeting confirmed the good relations between FAO and Canada on issues of mutual interest and the global challenges we face in combating hunger and malnutrition," Graziano da Silva said. Topics as gender and biotechnology were addressed as of particular interest to Canada.

The new contribution was announced shortly after the Berlin Agriculture Ministers' Conference, where agricultural ministers from around the world endorsed a communiqué that identified steps that countries can take in reducing agriculture's impact on water quality and quantity, and increase access to water.

See more: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/463873/icode/