April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 Plant Health Survey Report
The objectives of the Plant Protection Program within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are to prevent the introduction and spread within Canada of plant pests of quarantine significance, to detect and control or eradicate designated plant pests in Canada, and to certify plants and plant products for domestic and export trade.
Plant health surveys support the Plant Protection Program in a number of ways. They help to detect new populations of quarantine pests or potential quarantine pests being considered for regulation. Delimitation surveys are also conducted to determine the range of pest populations with limited distributions in Canada (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) no 08). Surveillance data allows Canada to maintain claims of Pest Free Area (ISPM no 04), Pest Free Place of Production and Pest Free Production Site (ISPM no 10) status, and supports our ability to meet a number of international phytosanitary standards under the International Plant Protection Convention. Surveys provide information in support of import, export and domestic regulatory programs. They are a key contribution to policy development and trade negotiations. In all cases, reliable and accurate pest distribution data provides the basis for sound regulatory decisions. The information may be used for a variety of purposes, including reasons for removing, altering, or even not establishing a quarantine regulation. Plant pest surveys are also an integral part of control and eradication programs (ISPM no 09).
In the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021), the CFIA conducted surveys for the plant pests listed below.
| Forest pests | Provinces surveyed | Results Table note a |
|---|---|---|
Asian longhorned beetle |
BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PE, NL | No detections. |
Emerald ash borer |
BC, AB, SK, ON, NB, NS, PE, NL | No detections. |
| Invasive alien forest insects | BC, MB, ON, QC, NB, | No regulated pests or pests of quarantine significance were detected outside of their known range. |
Spongy moth Lymantria dispar dispar |
BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PE, NL | BC: Adult moths detected in Kelowna (1 moth), Burnaby (2), Campbell River (1), Metchosin (1), Castlegar (1), Chilliwack (2), Coquitlam (6), Courtenay (5), Langley (1), Maple Ridge (10), Mission (5), North Saanich (1), Penticton (1), Surrey (7) Vancouver (2), Victoria (2), West Vancouver (1), Westbank (2). AB: 6 adult moths detected in Calgary, 1 in Edmonton and 1 in Claresholm. SK: 2 adult moths detected in Regina and 1 in Saskatoon MB: Adult moths detected in Winnipeg (6), Portage La Prairie (41), Wasagaming (1), and Victoria Beach (1) ON: Adult moths detected in Edwardsburgh/Cardinal township, Goderich. Greenstone, Hamilton, Heron Bay, Lake Helen 53A, Langstaff, Longlac, Neebing, Niagara Regional Municipality, Oshawa, Pigeon River, Port Weller, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay district, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vaughan, Whitchurch-Stouffville QC: Adult moths detected in Saint-Bruno, Boucherville, Saint-Hyacinthe, Montréal, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Sorel, Trois-Rivières and Québec. NB: Adult moths detected in Saint John, Bayside, St. Stephen and Belledune. NS: Adult moths detected in Darthmouth, Eastern Passage, Fergusons Cove, Halifax, Herring Cove, and Janvrin Island. PE: Adult moths detected in Borden-Carleton and Summerside. NL: Adult moths detected in St. John's, Brigus and Bay Bulls. |
| Brown spruce longhorn beetle (Tetropium fuscum) |
QC, NB, PE, NL | No detections. |
| Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) |
ON, QC, NB, NS, PE | NS: Detections in Cherryfield and Barton. |
| Oak wilt (Ceratocystis fagacearum) |
ON, QC | No detections. |
| Horticultural pests | Provinces surveyed | Results Table note b |
|---|---|---|
Ramorum blight |
BC, ON, | No new detections. |
Oriental fruit moth |
BC | No detections. |
Japanese beetle |
BC, NL | BC: Japanese beetle was detected in Vancouver and Port Coquitlam. |
Blueberry maggot |
BC, ON, QC, NL | No detections. |
Apple maggot |
BC | No new detections. |
| Tobacco blue mold (Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina) |
BC | No detections. |
| Plum pox virus | ON | No detections. |
| Seed potato pests | Provinces surveyed | Results Table note c |
|---|---|---|
| Potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis, G. pallida) |
BC, AB, SK, MB, QC, NB, PE, NL | No detections. |
Potato wart |
PE, NL | PE: Potato wart was detected |
| IASDP pests | Provinces surveyed | Results Table note d |
|---|---|---|
| Invasive plant survey: seed and grain handling facilities | BC, AB, ON, QC, NB | BC: Jointed goatgrass was detected at 3 sites. ON: Jointed goatgrass was detection at 1 site |
Kudzu |
ON | No new detections. |
| Lymantria dispar asiatica or Lymantria dispar japonica | BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PE | No detections |
Japanese Stiltgrass |
ON | 1 new detection. |
The CFIA's Plant Health Surveillance Unit (PHSU) is also dedicated to preventative science and research that supports risk mitigation and early detection. Research projects supported by the PHSU in April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 include:
- plant health diagnostic pilot project with the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph to assess potential for eDNA metabarcoding for detecting species of regulatory concern
- assessing the efficacy of a community science monitoring program for box tree moth
- chemical ecology of Chinese Agrilus species
- improving detection survey methodology of wood boring insects
- searching for hemlock woolly adelgid biocontrol agents and developing tools to detect and quantify predatory fly populations
(Leucotaraxis spp.) - testing the operational feasibility of using camera traps as part of CFIA's European gypsy moth and Japanese beetle surveys
- developing a sea container taping program to mitigate pest risk in lieu of the fumigation only option when containers need to be returned to country of origin due to non-compliant pest detection
Finally, the unit is committed to building and maintaining collaboration and networks through innovative education, outreach and awareness strategies that strengthen networks and build surveillance capacity.
The CFIA has worked closely with its collaborators, including provinces and municipalities to expand the reach of surveillance efforts for spongy moth and emerald ash borer. Furthermore, provincial efforts in Ontario have supported discussions on European cherry fruit fly with traps deployed at 15 locations in southwestern Ontario with no new detections. Collaborations with the Invasive Species Centre, Ontario, Parks Canada Agency and the Canadian Council on Invasive Species have continued and several Memorandums of Understanding for data sharing with provinces have been established. The unit regularly holds training and outreach events with the public and stakeholders, in addition to providing internal training for CFIA inspectors. Please contact the Plant Health Surveillance Unit if you or your organization would like to receive support for training or public outreach events.
For any question regarding CFIA's plant health surveys, please contact the Plant Health Surveillance Unit.
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