[MPWG] Fwd:
Conrad Richter
conrad at richters.com
Mon Oct 25 13:51:23 CDT 2010
On 10-10-24 01:55 PM, Gena Fleming wrote:
> Thank you Conrad, for bringing this to our attention.
>
> I have now just had a few moments to read over some of the documents
> in the brief. Here is the solicitation for comments:
>
>
> The USDA is notifying United States stakeholders of planned changes to
> the Canada/United States Greenhouse
>
> Certification Program (GCP) and to solicit stakeholder input on the
> contents of an authorized plant list that will replace the
>
> list of plants currently excluded from the program.
>
> It sounds like the decision to have a white list is already in place.
> THe solicitation is only for comments about the content of the white
> list, not its existence.
On Friday I spoke with an official of the CFIA (the Canadian counterpart
to the USDA-APHIS) with direct knowledge of this proposal and she
confirmed that a white list policy is all but decided. She also
confirmed that the impetus for it came from the U.S. side. The only
question remaining, it seems, is what plants will be on the list. The
CFIA was seeking feedback from Canadian growers on what the impact of
the current list is and whether more plants need to be added. I also
learned on Friday that a committee charged with the responsibility of
deciding which plants should be on the list has been working on the
present list for three years and has already rejected thousands of plants.
>
> This is going to require an uproar.
Well, I wish it would, but it seems that those most affected by
quarantine regulation rarely seem to have a voice in these matters.
Gardeners and herbalists, for example, never seem to be consulted in
these matters.
Although this particular initiative is limited to the joint Canada-USA
greenhouse certification program, it could be the thin edge of the wedge
for a future of white lists covering all botanical material. Even the
CFIA official -- and these officials are rarely this forthcoming --
agreed that the regulators are going after "low hanging fruit" by
targeting this joint program first. The majority of growers in the
program will likely acquiesce so they can continue to ship the common
trade plants that are on the present list.
Surprisingly, at least two CFIA officials suggested to me that I spread
word of this consultation to colleagues in the U.S. It seems that they
don't approve of this move any more than the affected growers.
Conrad Richter
>
> best,
> Gena Fleming
>
>
> On 24 October 2010 02:53, Conrad Richter <conrad at richters.com
> <mailto:conrad at richters.com>> wrote:
>
>
> *"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 <http://www.richters.com/>
>
>
>
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--
\_\ 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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