The Holstein Canada Management Team, Brantford, Ont., announced on June 24th that Pascal Lemire, La Visitation Que., will be joining the Association in the role of Registrar, a key position for the Association and its members. Lemire will work on a part-time basis, starting September 1, 2013.
Holstein Canada members are subject to rules and guidelines established by the Animal Pedigree Act when registering animals in the Holstein Canada herdbook. The Registrar oversees the integrity of the Holstein herdbook by ensuring appropriate standards are established and maintained both by the Association and at the farm level. In fulfilling this mandate, the Registrar has a significant educative role in proper record keeping as well as a compliance role with members at their farms. Additionally, the Registrar will be responsible for enforcing show ethics, which have the same educative and compliance aspects. Further, he will represent Holstein Canada and its members’ interests with respect to traceability, a topic vital to the interests of Holstein Canada and its members.
‘’Pascal brings the perfect skill set and expertise to this position – hands-on knowledge of the dairy industry, a first-hand understanding of on-farm record keeping, a natural talent for educating people, and bilingualism. His personal sense of integrity is a highly valued contribution to this position. Pascal is passionate about everyone maintaining a high level of integrity,” states Holstein Canada CEO, Ann Louise Carson. “Our industry is evolving and therefore this position is too – having Pascal join our team as a staff member is a clear indication of the road Holstein Canada is taking.”
Pascal Lemire is a well-known personality in the Holstein industry, having been on the Holstein Canada Board of Directors from 1998 to 2006, serving as National President in 2005 and 2006. He has been a strong advocate of traceability, having been active for many years with Agri-Traçabilité Québec and at the national level via Dairy Farmers of Canada and joint Industry/Government committees. Until recently, Lemire was an official judge. Lemire and his family own Madystar Holsteins, where, going forward, day-to-day management will be carried out by the next generation.
While Pascal Lemire begins at the Association on September 1st, he can be reached via email at plemire@holstein.ca.