Ottawa, December 20, 2017 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated its requirements for importing organisms – such as certain insects, bacteria, fungi and yeast species – that pose a direct or indirect risk to the health of Canada's agriculture, forests and natural environment.
The requirements to import potentially injurious organisms (PIOs) are provided in the CFIA's Directive D-12-02: Import Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Importation of Plant Pests in Canada.
Updates have been made to Appendix 1 of the directive, reflecting new or updated reviews and assessments conducted by the CFIA. These updates clarify and simplify the import requirements for numerous PIOs by:
- specifying the requirements for more PIOs, including for organisms that:
- are traded commercially (e.g. Bombyx mori, Zophobas atratus, Anthocoris nemoralis, certain Aphthona species)
- do not require an import permit under the Plant Protection Act (e.g. certain Diptera families, over 20 bacteria, fungi and yeast species)
- are now regulated at the genus level (Chalcosoma, Megasoma)
- providing further direction to importers of predatory mites used as biological control agents
- updating or correcting the names of certain PIOs (e.g. Mantis religiosa, pollinator species)
Before applying for a plant protection permit to import PIOs, importers are encouraged to review Appendix 1, which informs the permit application process (see s. 2.1 of D-12-02). As specified in the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS), when PIOs are allowed into Canada, this appendix is valid documentation that a plant protection import permit is not required.
Please direct questions regarding these updates to CFIA-IAS_ACIA-EEE@inspection.gc.ca.