An ex-executive with the B.C. Milk Marketing Board and Monsanto Canada has been named to lead the Canadian Dairy Commission through 2021.
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Wednesday named Bob Ingratta as the commission’s chairperson for a term ending Dec. 16, 2021, replacing Alistair Johnston.
Ingratta, originally from Ontario, has degrees in botany and environmental biology from the University of Guelph and worked in Ottawa for six years (2001-07) as vice-president for regulatory and international affairs with Monsanto Canada, now part of Bayer CropScience.
After his stint at Monsanto, he chaired the board of BioTalent Canada, a human resources development agency for the biotech sector, and worked as a consultant on regulatory and government affairs in the same sector.
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Ingratta then joined the B.C. milk board as CEO in 2011, serving there until 2017, and today is a director with the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.
Bibeau on Wednesday also re-upped Jennifer Hayes for another three-year term as a CDC commissioner.
Hayes, first named as a commissioner in 2017, is a dairy and beef producer at Shigawake in Quebec’s Gaspe region and an economic development officer for the MRC (regional district) of Bonaventure and has been active in the province’s Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA).
“The CDC is expected to deliver on many fronts in the coming year, and strong, experienced leadership is required,” Bibeau said in a release. “Both Ms. Hayes and Mr. Ingratta’s depth of knowledge and experience in agriculture and corporate governance will be valuable assets.”
In Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector, the CDC co-ordinates federal and provincial dairy policies and manages support prices, market sharing quota and programs such as the Special Milk Class Permit Program, Domestic Seasonality Programs and Dairy Innovation Program. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
