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FEBRUARY 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Berry growers face new import


requirements CFIA seeks to prevent Rubus stunt in Canada


by RONDA PAYNE


LANGLEY – Propagators and distributors of several berry species will face new import requirements this year as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency seeks to prevent Rubus stunt from entering Canada. The affected species include Rubus varieties, which including raspberries and blackberries, and Ribes, a genus including currants and gooseberries. The new import regulations


are outlined in CFIA directive D-18-01, which summarizes the import regulations currently in place with the addition of a new requirement to help prevent Rubus stunt phytoplasma (Candidatus Phytoplasma rubi) from entering the country, says CFIA spokesperson Lisa Murphy. “Once the requirements enter into force (projected for August 2019), all propagative plant material of Rubus spp. (not including seed) which is imported into Canada must be derived from parental plants which have been indexed and found free from Rubus stunt phytoplasma,” explains Murphy. “The proposed measures will help protect Canada from the introduction of regulated plant pests, while also aligning Canada’s import requirements with those of our major trading partners.” CFIA is unaware of any anticipated shortages of indexed plant material but Driediger Farms co-owner Rhonda Driediger said the directive essentially means that all plant material local berry growers use will have to


measure up. “There aren’t any


propagators here,” she says. “Anything for raspberries or blackberries are going to have to be brought in. Our research program coordinates with all of the research programs all over the world. But we just don’t propagate them here [in Western Canada].” The new requirements take


effect February 4, but include a six-month transition period designed to help importers and suppliers adjust to the new requirement. On February 4, all Rubus


and Ribes imports must have a phytosanitary certificate from the national plant protection organization of the country of origin, explains Murphy. Come August, the certificates will need an additional declaration of freedom from Rubus stunt. The onus will be on


Canadian growers to ensure any Rubus imports are from suppliers that meet CFIA requirements. She advises growers to voice concerns to CFIA. “The most-imported stock


would be raspberries,” says Driediger. “The propagators doing that would have to do that testing, show proof, etc., so that we can get a clean [plant material] to import.”


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www.emeraldbayag.com CFIA is changing the import regs this year for several berry varieties, including raspberries. FILE PHOTO Other sectors will be less


affected. “It’s not a really big deal for


us at all,” says Hedy Dyck, chief operating officer with the BC Landscape and Nursery Association. “For our industry


specifically, there’s not enough call for it to make it an issue.” With the decline in demand


for red raspberries, Driediger also wonders how much of an issue the directive will really pose for her and other


raspberry growers. “The way the raspberry pricing is now, people are thinking about ripping out fields,” she says. “The demand for red raspberries has plummeted.”


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