NEW CFIA SUPPORT FOR SHIPPING PLANTS TO THE EU AND UK

BY JAMIE AALBERS

CHANGES TO EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AND UNITED KINGDOM (UK) IMPORT

REQUIREMENTS now provide options to export plants for planting, other than seeds, that are hosts of Xylella fastidiosa from countries where this pest is present. X. fastidiosa is widespread in the United States and is on Canada’s list of regulated pests. Grape vine imports into Canada are regulated for this pest.

Xylella fastidiosa is a vector-transmitted bacterial plant pathogen associated with a wide range of plants. At least 359 cultivated and wild plant species have been shown to be either naturally or experimentally infected, although many of these remain symptomless after infection. To date, no national or regional surveys have been conducted by the CFIA for this bacterium in Canada, and as such the EU and UK cannot assume Canada is a X. fastidiosa free country. Prior to the implementation of the new regulations host plants for planting originating in Canada could not meet the requirements of the EU of the UK and were prohibited from export.

HOST PLANTS OF X. FASTIDIOSA FOR EXPORT TO THE EU

The Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1201 provides the option to export host plants for planting to the EU if they originate in a production site that has been authorized by the CFIA as free from X. fastidiosa and its vectors. Information regarding this option and the conditions to establish a pest free production site can be found in the articles 30, 31 and 33 of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1201. The EU’s list of host plants of X. fastidiosa is available in Annex 1 of this regulation. A web search of the underlined will take you to a copy of the regulation. Similar regulations are in place for export to the UK, but there are some plant species that remain ineligible for export.

If you are planning to export host plants of X. fastidiosa to the EU or UK or if you have any questions, it is recommended that you contact your local CFIA office. It can take time to develop a pest-free place of production or production site for X. fastidiosa host plants and requests will be treated on a case-bycase basis depending on the genera or the species of the plants to be exported to the EU or UK. In addition to the requirements for X. fastidiosa all other relevant import requirements of the EU or the UK are applicable.

New Plant Development Committee And Mas

These developments are a result of an application that CNLA made to CFIA’s Market Access Secretariat (MAS) back in the spring of 2020. At that time, access to the EU for rose selections from the CNLA/ Vineland rose breeding program was suspended due to rose rosette disease. The application to MAS requested help from CFIA in developing a rose rosette screening program for rose seedlings destined for new variety trials by European rose breeders.

Since that initial application, X. fastidiosa became the dominate reason for Canada’s inability to ship plant material into the EU and CFIA added this to their investigation. Earlier this spring, CFIA met with CNLA and Vineland and shared that they could now offer phytosanitary services to meet the EU requirements for both X. fastidiosa and rose rosette. Many thanks to the CFIA working group that completed this work.

IT’S COMPLICATEDSPONGY MOTH AND FLIGHTED SPONGY MOTH COMPLEX

Earlier this year, as part of their “Better Common Names Project” the Entomological Society of America (ESA) officially announced a new common name for the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) replacing “gypsy moth” with “spongy moth” in their list of “Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms.” In Canada, CFIA has also adopted the new common name, replacing the alternatives of European gypsy moth, EGM and LDD moth that were previously used.

The group of moths making up the Asian gypsy moth (AGM) complex Lymantria dispar asiatica, Lymantria dispar japonica, Lymantria umbrosa, Lymantria postalba and Lymantria albescens, are characterized by female flight which differentiates them from the European gypsy moth. The new common name for AGM, “flighted spongy moth complex” (FSMC) has been agreed upon by Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. The new name acknowledges the biological difference while maintaining the linkage to the new common name introduced by the ESA for Lymantria dispar.

This moth—and related Lymantrid species—are significant invasive forest pests. They can defoliate hundreds of species of trees and shrubs and harm a country’s natural resources. The name “spongy moth” refers to the insect’s distinctive spongytextured egg masses. The egg mass part of this moth’s life cycle is the life stage people are most likely to inadvertently move on outdoor items, which can lead to infestations in new areas. It is helpful to draw attention to the spongy-egg-mass stage in this pest’s life cycle to raise public awareness and highlight the actions people can take to reduce its spread. Public outreach is critical to reducing this pest’s impact and maintaining an effective regulatory program.

Spongy moth is a regulated pest in Canada. It is present in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec as well as southern and eastern Ontario. Schedule 1 of the Plant Protection Regulations prohibits the movement of any material infested with this pest. Nursery growers located in an area regulated for spongy moth are required to have a compliance agreement approved by CFIA for the movement of nursery stock from regulated to non-regulated areas.

Flighted spongy moth complex (FSMC) is not known to occur in North America, although there have been incursions and populations have been eradicated. Ships and cargo, including containers and used vehicles, can carry the egg masses of these moths to Canada from China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Russia. In the right conditions, caterpillars hatch from these egg masses, and they can go great distances with the wind to find food. Vessel certification programs for FSMC are established to prevent its entry into North America.

The Yerkes Dodson Theory And A Typical Year At The Nursery

Some stress can be beneficial to performance.

Back in 1908, two researchers Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson, performed an experiment that determined a relationship between pressure and performance. They proposed two ideas. First, individual performance tends to improve with increasing cognitive arousal (stress) up to a certain point, but beyond that point, performance decreases. Second, the difficulty of tasks exhibits an inverse relationship with the degree of stimulation. Difficult tasks are more easily mastered in the presence of weak stimulation or low stress levels, while easy tasks are more easily mastered in conditions of strong stimulation or moderately high stress levels. For example, difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a lower level of arousal (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation).

This graph visually describes the Yerkes Dodson Law. The upward part of the inverted U curve can be thought of as the energizing effect of stress. The downward part is caused by negative effects of stress on cognitive processes like attention, memory and problem solving.

When levels of stress are too low, this signals an insufficient level of arousal to keep you engaged in your work. If this is the case, try finding ways of raising your stress by taking on more challenging tasks or responsibilities. Increasing stress may feel counter intuitive, but remember that, according to the research, increasing arousal also corresponds to increasing attention and interest (up to a point). Past that point, when levels of stress are too high, productivity deteriorates.

Given we’ve just completed the spring season in the nursery, think about how much stress you experienced. That arousal/stress level was probably too high some days, but also just high enough other days to ensure all priority tasks were completed. But at the end of it you likely felt overwhelmed with work and were ready for some rest and a summer vacation. Once the late fall and winter begins, it doesn’t take long to start experiencing some boredom, and lack of motivation. It might be your arousal is too low now and your level of performance or productivity will also typically be lower.

It makes sense that you can be more productive in the difficult tasks like business and production planning, staff training, and expansions in the late fall and winter. These activities may be just what you need to raise your stress level up to an optimal level to be productive. But remember, its ok to be unproductive too, don’t forget to enjoy some low stress and weak performance for a week or two on a warm beach somewhere. Enjoy a bit of dormancy yourself!

Jamie Aalbers, Growers Sector Specialist