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Asian Long-Horned Beetles From China
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
New Treatments for Wood Crating to Start Jan. 4
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has signed a regulatory directive
requiring heat or chemical treatment of all solid wood cargo crating from
China (including Hong Kong) as of Jan. 4, 1999. These urgent new measures
are to reduce the risk of Asian long-horned beetles entering Canada. All
of the beetles found in Canadian port cities and inland warehouses recently
have been traced to wood cargo crating from China.
About the measures
- Heat or chemical treatment of crating will kill Asian long-horned
beetles and other destructive foreign insects living inside solid wood
crating. Crating includes solid wood boxes, pallets, support timbers,
blocking and spools.
- All shipments containing solid wood crating must be accompanied by
an official certificate from Chinese authorities confirming that it
has been heat or chemically treated.
- All shipments not containing solid wood crating must carry a statement
to that effect on accompanying documents.
- Failure to comply with the new treatments for solid wood crating
could result in rejection of cargoes or disposal of crating by incineration
or land filling at full cost to importers.
- On-site fumigation by an approved method may be considered an option
in the early phases of implementation.
- A national task force has been established to coordinate implementation
of the measures.
The Asian long-horned threat
- Asian long-horned beetles bore into trees used in the manufacture
of cargo crating in China and emerge at export destinations.
- They threaten to spread into Canadian hardwood forests, jeopardizing
$11 billion in wood products annually. They tunnel into healthy trunks
and branches, eventually killing the trees.
- They primarily attack maple trees, which are a national symbol in
Canada and the basis of a maple syrup industry worth $100 million annually
or 80 per cent of the world market.
- The beetles have no known natural predators in Canada.
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