Decision document: Vespa mandarinia (northern giant hornet)

Effective date: February 2020

Decision

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will not regulate Vespa mandarinia (northern giant hornet, formerly known as Asian giant hornet) as a quarantine pest for Canada. Restrictions will therefore not be placed on the import or movement of any commodities that may harbour this insect.

Background

In August 2019, northern giant hornet was detected for the first time in Canada in Nanaimo, British Columbia (B.C.). The CFIA confirmed the identification. In September 2019, a northern giant hornet's nest, located as a result of public reports of the detection in Nanaimo, was destroyed by local beekeepers and B.C. government officials. Other detections have since occurred.

The hornet is native to temperate and tropical eastern Asia. It is a predator of other wasps, large insects and honeybees. It is not known how the northern giant hornet made its way to Canada.

The CFIA conducted a pest risk categorization on the northern giant hornet to determine the nature and level of risk it presents to plant health in Canada and to obtain information on pathways of entry. While it is known to consume fruit and sap, the northern giant hornet's main harm to plant health is anticipated to be indirect because of its highly predacious behaviour to other wasps, insects and honey bees.

In other parts of the world, products such as empty plant pots have been suggested as potential pathways. However, evidence is generally only circumstantial. There is some evidence that the northern giant hornet could have been intentionally carried into the country. A live brood suspected of belonging to northern giant hornet was intercepted in passenger luggage at the Canadian border in 2013. The shipment was deemed non-compliant with plant protection requirements because it was not accompanied by an import permit.

Considerations

The focus of the CFIA's mandate under the Plant Protection Act is protecting agriculture, forestry and natural plant sectors, and the economy that relies on them, from plant pests, and in particular from quarantine pests.

Under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) PDF (104 kb), a quarantine pest is defined as a "pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled".

Based on international obligations under the IPPC, nations that regulate an organism as a quarantine pest must put in place the necessary measures to prevent their entry into the country, as well as officially control them when present in the country.

While both direct and indirect impacts can factor into a decision to regulate an organism as a quarantine pest, the CFIA has traditionally regulated quarantine pests based primarily on significant direct threats to plant health. This authority does not extend to human health impacts.

The decision to regulate an organism as a quarantine pest must consider whether preventative or control measures would be feasible, effective and cost justifiable. Effective prevention depends on knowing and controlling how the pest may enter the country. High uncertainties about the pathways of entry puts into question the ability to manage this risk, and ultimately the ability and feasibility of regulating V. mandarinia as a quarantine pest.

In addition to preventative or control programs concerning quarantine pests, the CFIA regulates the intentional import and handling of organisms that have the potential to cause harm to plant health. This includes indirect plant pests, such as the northern giant hornet. Individuals wishing to intentionally import this organism into Canada must apply to the CFIA for a plant protection permit.

For inquiries about this issue, please contact CFIA-IAS_ACIA-EEE@inspection.gc.ca.