Manitoba has a new chief veterinary officer, Dr. Glen Duizer.
“The chief veterinary officer is a leader in connecting the strength of Manitoba’s agricultural and agri-processing sectors with animal and human health,” said Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn in a Sept. 3 news release.
“Dr. Duizer’s extensive experience and expertise in animal health, emergency planning and response and epidemiology and his strong relationships with livestock and poultry stakeholders and veterinarians will help guide our work protecting animal and human health, and we are excited to welcome him to this role.”
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Why it matters: The chief veterinary officer heads provincial efforts on disease prevention, surveillance and traceability programs and deals with veterinary public health issues.
The Manitoba Pork Council welcomed the appointment.
“We would like to welcome Dr. Duizer to his new role and want to congratulate him on this well-deserved appointment,” general manager Cam Dahl said in a separate Sept. 3 release.
“In his time working in the office of the chief veterinarian, Dr. Duizer has maintained a collaborative approach while building a strong foundation of open and transparent communication.”
Already a veteran of the province’s chief veterinary office, Duizer became a particularly familiar face for the sector during its skirmishes with porcine epidemic diarrhea. Since 2017, the industry has battled major outbreaks of the disease, which is infamous for piglet mortality.
The pork council noted the role of the chief veterinary officer in combating PED, as well as other disease threats like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. The role is also critical to defences against incursions of foreign animal diseases including African swine fever and foot and mouth disease.
“We look forward to continuing to build on our deep working relationship with Dr. Duizer and his team to ensure that Manitoba’s hog sector remains a leader in animal care and disease mitigation,” Dahl said.
Duizer’s time with Manitoba Agriculture already spans almost two decades, having joined the department in 2005. He “has 10 years prior experience as a clinical veterinarian in food animal and mixed animal practices,” the release said.
His initial veterinary education came from the University of Prince Edward Island, where he graduated in 1995. In 2015, he added a master of science in epidemiology to his credentials.
