[MPWG] Fwd:

[Conrad Richter]

*"WHITE LIST" OF AUTHORIZED PLANTS (Canada and U.S.)*

The U.S. and Canadian governments are planning to introduce a "white
list" of plants that are allowed entry into each country under a joint
Canada-USA greenhouse certification program. The United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(CFIA) are requesting comments from stakeholders on a proposal to
replace the current list of prohibited plants with this new list of
allowed plants. What this means is that if a plant is not on the allowed
list it cannot enter the U.S. from Canada or vice versa. Many thousands
of plants including many herbs will be barred entry under the proposal.

This change is highly significant for both countries because it appears
to be a first attempt to implement a controversal "white list" approach
to the control of cross-border plant movement. The proposed "white list"
is far more restrictive than the current "black list" of prohibited
plants that has been in place since the inception of the binational
Greenhouse Certification Program in 1996. The proposed "white list" of
allowed plants includes less than 1000 plant genera, out of over 12,600
genera of flowering plants known to man. The current "black list" of
prohibited plants has fewer than 100 genera.

Some suggest that the powerful anti-invasives movement in the U.S. is
behind the push to introduce "white lists" of plants that are allowed
into the country. While invasives are a problem for both countries, the
new list will affect thousands of plants already in the horticultural
trade, and will limit the introduction of new plants to gardeners.

For gardeners, it is worth reflecting a moment on how many new plants
that you have enjoyed growing over the past 10-20 years, and how many of
them might not have been available to you had this "white list" been in
place.

Gardeners, herbalists, commercial growers, and the gardening and herbal
media are encouraged to submit comments.

*The deadline for comments is October 31, 2010.*

*United States*: Email your comments to Michael D. Ward, Senior
Accreditation Projects Manager, USDA-APHIS-PPQ
(michael.d.ward at aphis.usda.gov)
<mailto:michael.d.ward at aphis.usda.gov?Subject=GCP%20Comments>

*Canada*: Email your comments to the CFIA (horticulture at inspection.gc.ca
<mailto:horticulture at inspection.gc.ca?Subject=comments>)

The relevant documents, including the proposed lists of authorized
genera and families, are available here
<http://www.richters.com/newdisplay.cgi?page=Issues/documents.html>.

-- 
\_\  RICHTERS HERBS
/ /  Goodwood, ON, L0C 1A0, Canada
\_\  Tel +1.905.640.6677  Fax +1.905.640.6641
/_/  http://www.richters.com

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