September 1, 2021
Strawberry Blossom Weevil (Anthonomus rubi)
Does your facility export Fragaria, Rosa or Rubus to the United States?
New requirements to come into effect Sept. 3, 2021
The federal order will come into force upon publication which we have been told will be Sept. 3, 2021 and will apply to all of Canada.
For more information on Anthonomus rubi (Strawberry Blossom Weevil) via Canada’s NAPPO pest alert from September 2020.
The letter indicated that APHIS will require that material from all provinces in Canada be produced in a pest free production site (PFPS) or a pest free place of production (PFPP) as per ISPM 10. Material will also need to be inspected and found free from the pest according to the additional declaration that was shared in the letter. For growers on the Canada-US Greenhouse Grown Certification Program (GCP) the federal order will recognize facilities with an implemented pest module to support the export of Fragaria and Rosa. This is the first time that a federal order recognizes this program. CFIA has requested that APHIS also recognize the Canadian Nursery Certification Program and permit all three identified hosts with either a GCP label or a sticky phytosanitary certificate. They are awaiting a response.
The CFIA is working on getting the Export Certification System (ECS) updated and getting a listserv ready to be circulated. CFIA will be doing all they can to work with producers to get PFPP and PFPS in place as quickly as possible. This should be easier in provinces where the pest is not known to occur. To date the pest has only been detected in BC.
FCG and CNLA are working with CFIA to determine what needs to be in place for a facility to be able to export these host plants to the USA, and how quickly these requirements can be implemented. In the meantime, we expect that shipments of the host plants will be prohibited effective Friday September 3, 2021, unless your facility is authorized under the GCP with a relevant pest module in place. We will continue to update you on this trade issue and are doing what we can to facility trade and minimize the impact to your facilities. A standardized pest module for GCP facilities is under development and will be available by Thursday September 2nd.
If you have any questions, please contact Jeanine West, Grower Technical Analyst at 705-796-8812 or jwest@landscapeontario.com.