Gypsy Moth - Urgent Advisory
Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 August 2010 13:51
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have issued an urgent notice to industry. The United States and Canadian authorities have intercepted live Asian gypsy moth (AGM) egg masses on an unprecedented number of commercial vessels calling on west coast ports in 2008. This number has not been experienced since the early 1990's. Ten of these events were severe enough to consider vessels significantly infested resulting in the vessels being ordered into international waters.
U.S. and Canadian officials seek increased collaboration with shipping lines, agents, and associations in order to try to minimize these events with support of port monitoring and vessel pre-inspection techniques on vessels that called ports in China, Japan, Korea and Russia (Far East region) during the high risk periods. Further information is available on CFIA's website.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released their 10th revision to their Asian Gypsy Moth policy directive to include all Japanese ports, one additional Russian port, Kozmino, all ports in northern China and the Republic of Korea.
Vessels are now required to provide to CFIA with 96-hour advance notice of arrival, a list of the ports of call over the past two years and a copy of a recognized Phytosanitary Certificates confirming that the vessel was inspected for Asian Gypsy Moth prior to departure.
Shipping companies are strongly encouraged to instruct all vessel crews to conduct intensive on-board inspection to remove (scrape off) and destroy all egg masses prior to entering U.S. and Canadian ports. The egg masses can be found anywhere on the vessel superstructure and where doors were open while in port.
Egg masses may also found on the lines used to moor the vessel, extra lines laying on the deck, very high on the vessel super structure, on air intake vents, vessel smoke stack, on the tracks used for crane movement, on the outside hull, on a container stored on the deck, and inside a wheel/tool house or room on the aft deck. The egg masses will also be seen throughout the vessel meaning on the aft deck, starboard and port sides of the deck and housing, on the bow, and on the main deck and upper decks of the main super structure, cargo hold framing, and other vessel framing including safety rails. The outside of containers must also be inspected.
CFIA has also released a Gypsy Moth Inspectional Pocket Guide for vessels that have called the high risk areas. The Guide provides helpful instructions to vessel crew on what the egg masses look like, where they might be found on vessels, and how the eggs should be removed.
The following resources are available for download:
Asian Gypsy Moth Policy (D-95-03)
Additional resources are available in the Files & Download section on our website.
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