Current status: Closed
This consultation was open from November 7, 2024, to January 31, 2025.
As part of our consultation on risk mitigation options for the importation of honey bee packages from the United States (U.S.) to Canada, we looked to gather feedback from industry, governments, the public, and other organizations or individuals with an interest in matters related to honey bee health. This will help determine if identified risks can be mitigated to an acceptable level to allow importation of U.S. honey bee packages into Canada. In response to feedback and requests from stakeholders, the CFIA extended the deadline to January 31, 2025, for receiving proposals.
Background
Importation of honey bee packages from the U.S. have been restricted since 1987 due to unacceptable levels of risk to the health of the Canadian bee population. Subsequent import risk analyses were conducted in 2003 and 2014 which concluded that importation of honey bee packages from the U.S. into Canada would lead to unacceptable risks of introduction, establishment and spread of hazards. As a result, Canada does not currently allow honey bee package imports from the United States. Restrictions for importing bees into Canada are in place to help protect the Canadian bee population.
About the risk analysis
In 2023, a new import risk analysis for honey bee packages from the U.S. was initiated to determine if the importation of approximately 50,000 (25,000 to 75,000) honey bee packages per year from the continental U.S. could be allowed into Canada. The risk analysis is being conducted based on guidelines provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures agreement, and includes hazard identification, risk assessment for the identified hazards and risk management.
The 5 following hazards (pathogenic agents that can cause disease or pests that can lead to negative effects) were identified within the hazard identification assessment that can pose a risk to the Canadian honey bee population:
- Apis mellifera scutellate hybrid (Africanized honey bees)
- Paenibacillus larvae (American foulbrood)
- Melissococcus plutonius (European foulbrood)
- Aethina tumida (Small hive beetle)
- Varroa destructor (Varroa mite)
A quantitative risk assessment was then conducted for four of the identified hazards (excluding European foulbrood) by evaluating:
- The probability of entry of each hazard through importation of honey bee packages
- The probability of exposure of Canadian honey bees to these hazards and
- The consequences of that exposure on the Canadian honey bee population
There is currently a lack of scientific information on resistant forms of European foulbrood in Canada or the United States. Without this information, it is not possible to conduct a risk assessment for European foulbrood, which would be necessary to justify the implementation of import measures that would go beyond what is currently applied for interprovincial movements in Canada.
Altogether, the risk assessment concluded that the probability of entry, exposure and establishment of any of the 4 hazards of concern on at least one receiving hive in Canada over a period of one year was 100%. The overall, national-scale impact of projected importations would be moderate, with immediate and significant impacts within importing provinces and potential dissemination of all hazards within the Canadian honey bee industry. The risks identified in the risk assessment are above Canada's acceptable level of risk. Therefore, risk mitigation measures are required in order to determine if honey bee packages can be imported from the US.
Who was the focus of this consultation
All comments were welcome from Canadian stakeholders including industry, governments, the public, and other organizations or individuals with an interest in matters related to honey bee health and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS).