April 26, 2002

SUBJECT: Aquatic Plants

Further to the letter on aquatic plants dated December 7, 2001, this is to provide an update on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requirements for the importation of aquatic plants from all sources as defined in the policy directive D-02-02 entitled Plant Protection Import Requirements for Rooted, or Unrooted Plants, Plant Parts, and Tissue Cultured Plants for Propagation. D-02-02 can be found at www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/protect/dir/directe.shtml and contains the general import requirements for all plants, both terrestrial and aquatic, from all sources. Under this directive, all aquatic plants from off-continent sources must be free of soil. A Permit to Import must be issued by the Plant Health and Production Division (PHPD) of the CFIA and the plants must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by the National plant protection organization of the exporting country.

For aquatic plants from the continental U.S. a Phytosanitary Certificate must accompany the plant material with the required additional declarations for the origin in question. A permit to import is not required unless otherwise stated in the policy directive D-94-14. Please refer to D-02-02 for further details.

We also wish to inform you that the importation of aquatic plants may be regulated under the New Substances Notification (NSN) Regulations of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). CEPA is administered and enforced by Environment Canada. For information, please contact Environment Canada at 1-800-567-1999, 1-819-953-7156. Additional information can also be obtained from Environment Canada's Web site.

The CFIA will continue to be fully involved in the interdepartmental discussions taking place on invasive species which will contribute to the development of a National Policy on aquatic plants, to clarify the role and responsibilities of all parties and identify required resources. 

Please feel free to contact the Horticulture Section, PHPD should you wish to discuss the above in greater details.

Sincerely,

Cameron Duff
A/Director