Clare Schlegel of Shakespeare, Ont., has been chosen by the
Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) as this year’s winner of the Carl Block
Award.
The award is in remembrance of Carl Block, first chairman of
the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, director of the Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association and inaugural chairman of the Canadian Animal Health Coalition. He
was also president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association.
Schlegel was chosen for his dedication to the hog industry.
He served as president of the Canadian Pork Council, as
chairman of the Ontario Pork producers marketing board and co-chair in 1996 of
the National Farmed Animal Health Stategy development process.
The next year he was co-chair of a task force which led to
the formation of the Canadian Swine Health Board. He served as chairman of the
Canadian Pork Council’s working group on traceability.
He said, after visiting many countries, that “animal health
is either the number one reason for success on a farm or the number one
limiting factor.”
He began farming in 1979 and developed a highly-successful
business that includes broiler chickens, grain handling and trucking. He
participates with several farmers in an integrated hog-production business.
Schlegel served as Canadian Pork Council director to the
CAHC from 2003-2008, including several years as chairman.
He experienced the devastating effects of circovirus and
recognized the need for quick disease response systems.
When he was president of the Canadian Pork Council from
2004-2008, he was a key leader in the West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative, guiding
efforts to help industry and government more effectively deal with this
disease.
“The CAHC would like to congratulate Clare and through this
award we recognize his diligent efforts on behalf of the Canadian Animal Health
system,” said Dr. Jim Fairles, current chairman of the CAHC.
