Even the plants get IDed now

There will be a few more hoops to jump through for gardeners who want to buy their plants in Canada. New federal rules prohibit any live plants, bulbs and seeds from crossing the border without a bill of clean health.

In previous years bedding plants and tulip bulbs from Canada destined for the United States haven’t had to meet the same requirements as perennials and woody plants - examination by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspector and a phytosanitary certificate. Now all plants from Canada will need to be inspected before they can cross the border.

Regulations requiring phytosanitary certificates for all plant materials are not new, but they’ve been selectively enforced where the risk of bringing in plant disease was judged minimal. Agriculture officials decided to harden up the rules based on a report from the National Plant Board that recommended more vigorous measures to keep offshore pests out of the U.S.

“What they’re trying top do is make all ports around the country consistent,” said United States Department of Agriculture inspector Wayne Stowell. “In the past we’ve made quite a number of allowances for Canada because they didn’t import that much plant material. Now they’re as cosmopolitan as we are and bring a lot of plants in from places like China and India.”

Point Roberts gardeners who want their plants from Canada can make arrangements themselves with CFIA at 604/666-2891 to inspect the plants, or buy from a nursery that makes arrangements for regular visits from the inspectors for their U.S. customers. “We do phytosanitary inspections regularly,” said Jim Hay of Sunnyside Nursery in Tsawwassen. “People can come and purchase their plant materials and we’ll arrange for inspection to be done here and ship it down. The difference is they can’t take it with them.” Hay added the nursery hadn’t charged for delivery to the Point in the past, when phytosanitary certificates were only required for things like trees, but that could change now that the rules apply to pansies as well. “If there’s going to be a big increase in inspections on small orders we may have to look at charges down the road.”

“It’s going to create a lot of extra work for a lot of people,” said CFIA plant health program officer Ken Wong. “For someone looking at a few plants it will be costly and time consuming.” The inspection fee from CFIA is $12.35 CDN for non-commercial shipments, he said, and increased volumes could mean delays in getting the plants inspected. “It makes bringing a friend a chrysanthemum a little pricey.”

Things are changing north of the border, too. As of February 1 Canada Customs will no longer admit firewood to Canada without a phytosanitary certificate as part of tightening rules to protect the country’s forests from imported pests..

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