Serious problems increase vulnerability to damage by invasive plants, pests and diseases
Ottawa, 5 February 2009—There are serious problems in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s approach to protecting Canada from invasive alien plants, plant pests, and diseases, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons.
“The sheer volume of imports makes it impossible to inspect all shipments,” said Ms. Fraser. “Given that the volume has more than doubled in the last seven years, it is critical that the Agency focus on the greatest risks.”
The report notes that invasive alien plant and plant pests can threaten the environment and the economy. In their new habitat, their impact on native ecosystems can be severe and often irreversible. In addition, they can threaten Canada’s agriculture and forestry sectors, which produce goods valued at about $100 billion a year.
The audit found that the Agency’s pest surveys focus almost exclusively on known invaders rather than identifying potential new threats before they become established. In addition, the Agency has difficulty with timely delivery of its plant health risk assessments. At the time of the audit, the backlog of uncompleted assessments amounted to more than the Agency can normally complete in a year.
The Report notes that the Agency’s national inspection targets are interpreted and applied inconsistently across the country. For example, “67 percent inspection” is interpreted by some staff to mean that 67 percent of every shipment must be inspected and by others to mean that 67 percent of all shipments in a given year must be inspected. Furthermore, high-risk imported commodities that are subject to 100-percent inspection are sometimes released for distribution without being inspected.
“Our audit findings are serious. The Agency needs to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the way it handles imports under its plant health program,” said Ms. Fraser.
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The chapter “Managing Risks to Canada’s Plant Resources—Canadian Food Inspection Agency” is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site.
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