Western Committee on Plant Diseases: Operational Guidelines
The Western Committee on Plant Diseases (WCPD), previously known as Western Committee on Plant Disease Control (WCPDC), was organized as one of the four committees under the auspices of Western Forum, in 1976. It functions as an advisory body to provincial government advisory committees of the four western provinces and to other agencies concerned with plant disease control within the region. Its objective is to promote the development and adoption of sound control measures for plant diseases of regional concern in the four western provinces.
The WCPD previously published the Guidelines for the Control of Plant Diseases in Western Canada. The guidelines were reviewed and updated annually as part of the Western Forum on Pest Management. As of 2016 the guidelines are no longer being updated.
WCPD Information:
General Policy
The Western Committee on Plant Disease (WCPD) functions as an advisory body to provincial government advisory committees of the four western provinces and to other agencies concerned with plant disease control within the region.
Objective
The objective of the WCPD is to promote the development and adoption of sound control measures for plant diseases of regional concern in the four western provinces.
Terms of Reference
To achieve its objective, the WCPD:
- Provides a means for regularly reviewing control measures so that information on new disease control products, resistant varieties, regulatory proposals, or other control measures can be evaluated.
- Identifies disease problems where further investigation is necessary to develop satisfactory control measures and indicates what studies are required and where they should be undertaken.
- Alerts plant pathologists and regulatory personnel within the region to new disease problems that are of general concern so that coordinated control measures can be adopted.
- Increases the effectiveness of those responsible for solving plant disease control problems by sharing the expertise and experience of the extension, research, and regulatory personnel concerned with disease control within the region.
Structure and Membership Guidelines
The WCPD is open to provincial, federal, industry and university personnel concerned with any aspect of plant disease control in the four western provinces, and other invited persons. The key personnel of the WCPD are the Subcommittee Chairmen and Alternates appointed to head the following subcommittees:
1. Cereals
2. Forage & Grasses
3. Greenhouse Crops
4. Oilseeds
5. Ornamentals
6. Trees
7. Potatoes
8. Special Field Crops
9. Fruit
10. Vegetables
11. Pulses
The Official Membership of the WCPD consist of the following representative memberships:
Subcommittee Chairs and alternates, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, CPIC member, Pesticides Directorate representative, Plant Health Division representative, Editor of Guidelines, Editor of Slide Sets, and Editor of Web Site.
The Executive Committee of the WCPD is a Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary/Treasurer and an Editor of Guidelines who are chosen at each regular meeting of the Executive Committee and who serve until the end of the next regular meeting.
The Executive Committee concerned primarily with policy development, particularly with respect to interprovincial and provincial-federal concerns.
Operating Procedures
- Duties and responsibilities of the Subcommittee Chair:
- The Subcommittee Chair receives and collates disease situation reports and presents this to the annual meeting. They also review the need for new or continued research related to the respective subcommittee's area of concern and prepares a statement with respect to research needs, indicating priorities.
- The Subcommittee Chair distributes their documented summary and draft(s) of revised control recommendations to the official membership of the WCPD at the time of the annual meeting.
Advisory Personnel
There is a roster of designated (by position or agency rather than by person) Advisory Personnel who may be requested to attend and participate in the meetings of the WCPD at the discretion of the Chairperson.