CCP: ME 04/INF/1

1.     LOCATION OF THE SESSION

The Twentieth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Meat and Dairy Products will be held in Winnipeg from 17 – 20 June 2004 by kind invitation of the Government of Canada. The venue will be:

THE FORT GARRY HOTEL
222 Broadway
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada

2.     ENQUIRIES ON THE MEETING

(a) All enquiries concerning the Session, except those regarding local arrangements, may be addressed to:

Ms Nancy Morgan
Secretary
Intergovernmental Group on Meat and Dairy Products
Commodities and Trade Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 06-57054528
Facsimile: +39 06-57054495
Email:[email protected]

Or to:

Ms Silvia Ripani
Secretariat
Intergovernmental Group on Meat and Dairy Products
Commodities and Trade Division
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 06-57052748
Facsimile: +39 06-57054495
Email: [email protected]

(b) Information on visa and other arrangements should be addressed to the Liaison Officer for the Session:

Ms Patti Negrave
Agriculture Industry Services Directorate
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
1341 Baseline Road, 7^th Floor – Tower 7
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0C5
Telephone: 613-759-6216
Facsimile: 613-759-6316
Email: [email protected]

3.     ENTRY FORMALITIES

Delegates and accompanying travellers who, because of their nationality, require visas, should apply for them at the embassies of Canada in their respective countries of residence. It is recommended that should any difficulties arise, the Liaison Officer be informed at least four weeks prior the Session.

Nationals of the following countries, entering into Canada as bona-fide tourists, do not require entry visas: countries of Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Republic of Korea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, United States, and Western Samoa.

Participants should have a visa for the country they are proceeding to from Canada, if required by the law of that country. Nationals of the above countries require a visitors visa to enter Canada if they are not coming as bona-fide tourists. Delegates and accompanying travellers who require visas, should apply for them at the embassies/consulates of Canada, in their respective countries of residence.

Nationals of all countries not included in the above list, require a visa for entry into Canada.

Airport tax:

Disembarkation Tax: No tax is applicable on arrival.

Embarkation Tax: Vancouver is the only Canadian city with a departure tax (C$15) collected prior to embarkation. For most Canadian cities the Airport Improvement tax is included in the price of the airfare.

Consumer taxes:

A 7% goods and services tax (GST) is charged on most goods and services sold or provided in Canada.

As a visitor to Canada, you will pay the tax on most of your purchases. However, under the Visitor Rebate Program, you may be eligible for a rebate of the tax you paid on the goods you take home as well as on short-term accommodation (less than one month) in Canada. Delegates should obtain information and forms at the airport of entry.

Manitoba also charges a 7% provincial sales tax on purchases of most goods.

4.     HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

Please note that special arrangements for IGG Delegates have been made at a discounted price of Canadian Dollars $121.00 per person/day (excluding breakfast and taxes) with the following five-star hotel:

THE FORT GARRY HOTEL
222 Broadway
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C 0R3
Telephone: (204) 942-8251
Fax: (204) 942-7036
www.fortgarryhotel.com

When booking hotel please quote reference number AGR35.

It is recommended that participants book before 1^st May 2004.

5.     TRANSPORT

No arrangements have been made for transport to and from airport. Delegates will be responsible to make their own transport arrangements to the conference hotel. Approximate taxi fare is $15 Canadian from the airport to conference hotel.

6.     CLIMATE

Warm-to-hot days and cool nights are the rule during late spring and summer. Expect June temperatures of 20-25 C cooling down to 10-15 C at night. Wide variations from average values are common in all seasons. There are more rainy days May-July than later in the summer. More than half of the annual precipitation falls in the summer months in the form of brief heavy showers. Due to its northern location, Winnipeg enjoys up to 16 hours of sunlight during the summer months.

7.     HEALTH CARE

Canadian hospitals and medical services are excellent. The vast majority of hospitals are publicly managed and rates are set by provincial and hospital authorities. Hospital care for non-residents of Canada is charged at a daily rate or on the basis of the medical condition and length of stay. Charge vary from province to province and from hospital to hospital, but generally range from $1,000 to $2,000 a day. So it's important to obtain travel health insurance before leaving home, since it's possible your regular health insurance does not include coverage outside your country of residence. If you are taking medicine prescribed by your physician, you should bring a copy of the prescription, in case it needs to be renewed by a doctor in Canada. All medicine should be carried in the container in which it was dispensed.

8.     CURRENCY

Although U.S. money is usually accepted in Canada, we suggest that you exchange it for Canadian dollars at any Canadian financial institution, where you will receive the prevailing exchange rate. One Canadian dollar (CAD) is made up of 100 Cents. Currency notes are the following denominations $5, $10, $20, $50, $100: Coins are in the following denominations:1 dollar, 2 dollar, 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent. Current rates can be obtained at the following site: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/exchform.htm or http://fx.sauder.ubc.ca/.

Current Exchange Rates
(approximate as at Jan 30 2004)

9.     BANKING FACILITIES

National banking hours are typically from 10:00 hours to 17:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 15:00 on Saturday closed Sunday. Automatic teller machines operate throughout the day, 7 days a week.

10.     CREDIT CARDS

Reputed credit and charge cards are widely accepted by shops and restaurants in Canada.

11.     ELECTRICITY

In Canada the current is 120 volts. Plug type is a North American standard. In Winnipeg, alternate adaptors for plugs are not easily available.

12.     MEETING REGISTRATION

Participants are requested to register using the attached form. The form, also available on the Internet site www.fao.org/es/esc, should be faxed or emailed to:

Secretariat
Intergovernmental Group on Meat and Dairy Products
Commodities and Trade Division
FAO
Telephone: +39 06-57052748
Facsimile: +39 06-57054495
Email: [email protected]

Registration will also take place on site at the Fort Garry Hotel, 222 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba from 14:00 hours to 18:00 hours on Wednesday, 16 June 2004, and continuing through the conference period. Only those registering before 1^st May 2004 are eligible for a discounted rate to the International Meat Congress.

13.     FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

An objective of the Intergovernmental Group is to seek the broadest representation of the world's meat and dairy communities in all activities relating to the meeting and to facilitate regional balance. Understanding that it may be difficult for potential delegates from some regions of the world to participate in the IGG,  the organizers are seeking funds to assist such delegates to attend the Winnipeg meeting.  It is envisaged that financial assistance will cover hotel and meal costs in Canada associated with attending the IGG, but not airfares and other travel costs.  Any delegates interested in making an application for financial assistance to attend the IGG would therefore have to seek other sources of funds to pay for airfares and other travel costs.

Assistance will be provided according to strict criteria. The Organizing Committee will review all requests for financial assistance received prior to 1 May 2004.  In considering requests for assistance, the following criteria will be applied:

-     one assisted participant per country;

-     preference given to government nominated representatives to the IGG;

-     preference given to those representing farmers or industry organisations.

Registration Form