Import and release of biological control agents into Canada
Biological control agents are insects, mites, nematodes and other organisms used to control plant pests such as weeds or insects. Despite their potential benefits for managing pests, they present a risk to the environment because they themselves can become pests or carriers of pests.
To prevent direct or indirect harm to plant health, the import and release of biological control agents in Canada is regulated. The regulatory approach includes conducting scientific reviews of requests to release biological control agents and establishing requirements for post-release monitoring.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sets requirements that govern the import, handling and release in Canada of biological control organisms. These requirements are based on authorities in the Plant Protection Act and are provided in the CFIA's program directive D-12-02: Import Requirements for Potentially Injurious Organisms (Other than Plants) to Prevent the Importation of Plant Pests in Canada.
First release of non-indigenous biological control agents
Before a biological control agent can be released into the Canadian environment for the first time, a petition requesting its release must be submitted to the CFIA. The petition must include information about the safety of the organism. For guidance, please see the resources listed below.
Petitions are reviewed by a Biological Control Review Committee, which is coordinated by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The committee includes taxonomists, ecologists and other scientists from the federal and provincial governments and Canadian universities.
After the petition is reviewed by the committee, the committee makes a recommendation that is considered by the CFIA in its final assessment. The CFIA then communicates its decision to the petitioner.
The following figure illustrates the petition review and assessment process:
CFIA Process for Biological Control Agent Petitions
Table 1 lists the petitions submitted in Canada since 2000. For each request, it includes the target organism and biological control agent, as well as the status of the request.
The petition process is not required for biological control agents from commercial sources that have already been approved by the CFIA. These Biological Control Agents From Commercial Sources are listed in section 5 of appendix 1 to D-12-02.
Approved agents may be imported provided a plant protection import permit is obtained and they are produced in a rearing facility with a protected environment for at least one complete generation. When requesting to import any of these approved agents, the following information must be provided on your application for a plant protection import permit:
- Name and location of the rearing facility with a protected environment; and
- Date from which agents have been under continuous culture in this rearing facility.
Furthermore, when applying to import predatory mites listed in section 5 of appendix 1, prey mite species used as food source must also be listed on the permit application for each predatory mite.
Year of submission | Target organisms | Biological control agents | Status |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | Adelges tsugae L. (hemlock woolly adelgid) | Laricobius osakensis | Denied (2024) |
2022 | Butomus umbellatus L. (flowering rush) | Bagous nodulosus Gyllenhal | Approved (2022) |
2021 | Leucanthemum vulgare Lam (oxeye daisy) | Dichrorampha aeratana | Approved (2022) |
2019 | Elaeagnus angustifolia L. (Russian olive) | Aceria angustifoliae Denizhan | Approved (2022) |
2018 | Alliaria petiolata (M.Bieb.) Cavara & Grande (garlic mustard) | Ceutorhynchus scrobicollis Neresheimer & Wagner | Approved (2018) |
2018 | Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (brown marmorated stink bug) | Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) | Denied (2020) |
2018 | Phragmites australis(Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed) | Lenisia geminipuncta (Haworth); Archanara neurica (Hübner) |
Approved (2019) |
2017 | Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham) (cabbage seedpod weevil) | Trichomalus perfectus (Walker) | Denied (2018) |
2016 | Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) | Spathius galinae Belokobylskij & Strazanac | Approved (2016) |
2015 | Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) | Oobius agrili Zhang & Huang | Approved (2016) |
2014 | Pilosella aurantiaca (L.); P. caespitose (Dumort.); P. flagellaris (Willd.); P. floribunda (Wimm. & Grab.); P. glomerata (Froel.); P. officinarum Vaill., P. piloselloides (Vill.) (hawkweeds) | Cheilosia urbana (Meigen) | Approved (2016) |
2013 | Lilioceris lilii Scopoli (lily leaf beetle) | Lemophagus errabundus (Gravenhorst) | Approved (2013) |
2013 | Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) | Spathius agrili Yang | Approved (2013) |
2013 | Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer) | Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang | Approved (2013) |
2013 | Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (tobacco whitefly) | Encarsia sophia (Girault & Dodd) | Approved (2014) |
2012 | Linaria vulgaris Mill. (yellow toadflax) | Rhinusa pilosa Gyllenhal | Approved (2014) |
2012 | Fallopia sachalinensis (F. Schmidt ex Maxim.) Dcne.; Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Dcne.; Fallopia x bohemica (Chrtek & Chrtková) JP Bailey (knotweeds) | Aphalara itadori Shinji | Approved (2014) |
2011 | Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (glasshouse whitefly); Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (tobacco whitefly); Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (western flower thrips); Eriophyid mites | Amblyseius |
Denied (2014) |
2011 | Vincetoxicum nigrum (L.) (black swallow-wort); Vincetoxicum rossicum (Kleopow) Barbarich (pale swallow-wort) | Hypena opulenta (Christoph) |
Approved (2013) |
2009 | Hieracium pilosella L., H. aurantiacum L., H. Floribundum Wimm. & Grab., H. x flagellare Wild. (caespitosum x pilosella) (hawkweeds) | Aulacidea subterminalis Niblett | Approved (2011) |
2009 | Dung & dung pests | Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius); Onthophagus taurus (Schreber) | Approved (2009) |
2009 | Acroptilon repens (L.) DC (Russian knapweed) | Jaapiella ivannikovi Fedotova | Approved (2009) |
2009 | Acrolepiopsis assectella (Zeller) (leek moth) | Diadromus pulchellus Wesmael | Approved (2009) |
2009 | Lilioceris lilii (Scopoli) (lily leaf beetle) | Tetrastichus setifer Thomson | Approved (2010) |
2008 | Acroptilon repens (L.) DC (Russian knapweed) | Aulacidea acroptilonica V. Bel. | Approved (2009) |
2005 | Chondrilla juncea L. (rush skeletonweed) | Bradyrrhoa gilveolella (Treitschke) | Approved (2006) |
2005 | Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (greenhouse whitefly); Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (tobacco whitefly); Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (western flower thrips) | Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Herriot | Approved (2006) |
2003 | Bemesia spp. (whitefly) | Eretmocerus mundus Mercet | Approved |
2001 | Listronotus oregonensis (LeConte) (carrot weevil) | Microctonus hyperodae Loan | Approved |
2001 | Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (western flower thrips) | Amblyseius (Typhlodromips) montdorensis Schicha | Denied |
2001 | Lymantria dispar (L.) | Calosoma sycophanta (L.) | Denied |
2000 | Acantholyda erythrocephala (L.) (Pine false webworm) | Myxexoristops hertingi (Mesnil) | Approved |
2000 | Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozetti) (longtailed mealybug) | Tetracnemoidea sydneyensis | Approved |
2000 | Aphids in greenhouses, field crops and orchards | Episyrphus balteatus (DeGeer) [Syrphidae] | Denied |
2000 | Paratrioza cockerelli (Sulc) (potato/tomato psyllid) | Tetrastichus triozae Burks | Approved |
Resources
Information and guidance on the petition process are available in:
- Approval process for the first environmental release of biological control agents
- Guide for the first-time importation and release of arthropod biological control agents in Canada
- Guidelines for petition for first release of non-indigenous phytophagous biological control agents (PDF)
- Guidelines for petition for first release of non-indigenous entomophagous biological control agents (PDF)
Additional Information
- Guidelines for the export, shipment, import and release of biological control agents and other beneficial organisms
- Questions and answers: wasps as biological control agents for emerald ash borers
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