Gregory Wolff

Gregory Wolff’s passion for plant health was inspired and developed in the 1990s by Dr. Avice Hall of the University of Hertfordshire and positively influenced by the infectious enthusiasm of Dr. Paul Beales. From that point on, Greg pursued a career in plant health, with increasing involvement in the IPPC, and a focus on plant health in the international context.

Greg began his Canadian government career in agriculture with the Government of Alberta in western Canada in 1996, working in positions related to crop protection and then international trade. He joined the federal government of Canada in 2000 and has held several agriculture-related positions focused on plant health and international trade, based within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Canada’s national plant protection organization.

Greg is currently the Director of the Plant Export Division in the CFIA’s International Affairs Branch. This division is responsible for the CFIA’s work with the North American Plant Protection Organization and the IPPC. He has represented North America on the IPPC’s Bureau in the past and has participated in numerous meetings of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM). Greg has also served on the Standards Committee and various IPPC working groups and technical panels, occasionally chairing these over the last 20 years. He is currently the Chair of the Focus Group on Sea Containers and previously chaired the IPPC Sea Containers Task Force that completed its work in 2022.

Commenting on his role as newly elected CPM Chair for 2024 and 2025, Greg's focus will be on supporting the implementation of the IPPC’s Strategic Framework while ensuring that concerns and positions of all contracting parties are clear and are considered in advancing all the objectives of the IPPC.

“The sense of community and willingness to seek compromise that prevails at all levels of IPPC governance, and in all panels and working groups, makes this feasible and must be carefully protected and maintained,” he said. As Chair, Greg will strive to ensure that decisions taken by the Commission are reflective of the majority views and are based on consensus.

With pressures on plant health increasing, not least due to climate change, it is vital that decision-taking by the Commission remains effective and is supported. This is also the focus of the Bureau and the secretariat in facilitating the Commission’s work throughout the year. The significant achievements that the IPPC has made over the years reflect the knowledge, experience, expertise and will of all involved in the IPPC community’s work, including the contracting parties that come together at annual Commission meetings. Advocacy is also an important part of the IPPC community’s work: we must continue to communicate that plant health is a true public good that must be safeguarded in the face of numerous pest pressures and pathways.

Greg is honoured to have the opportunity to chair the CPM in 2024 and 2025 and is humbled by the immense responsibility that accompanies this.