The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has informed CNLA that their detection survey to determine the spread of C. buxicola across Canada is now completed.  Due to weather conditions, nurseries in Quebec were the last to be sampled and tested.  One nursery was found to be positive in that province.  It is believed that the nursery in question immediately undertook extensive eradication measures.  The detection survey also included BC and Ontario.  In total, six nurseries in BC and two in Ontario have been confirmed to have positive finds of C. buxicola, in addition to the single nursery in Quebec.

The CNLA, in partnership with Landscape Ontario and BCLNA, and with support from AQPP and CNCI, have also made a successful application to AAFC’s CAAP program for the development and implementation of a C. buxicola certification program.  This program is intended to be a module to the CNCI’s domestic phytosanitary certification program now known as Clean Plants.  As was the case in BC for the P. ramorum certification program, nurseries will have the opportunity to implement the disease-specific C. buxicola module while they phase in the complete Clean Plants certification program.  In keeping with CNLA’s policy on declaring their status (“apparently free from boxwood blight” is the recommended wording) boxwood blight certification will not provide assurance that nurseries are guaranteed to be free from boxwood blight, but rather that they have implemented sound bio-security and best management practices to prevent the disease from coming on to their nurseries.

Through this program, nurseries in BC, ON and QC will have access to training programs and implementation assistance.  Further information on how to participate is available from the CNLA office by contacting Crislane Ackermann, 1-888-446-3499, ext. 8645 or crislane@cnla-acpp.ca.

Although a final decision has not yet been made, due to the spread of the disease across Canada and the US, it is unlikely that the CFIA or USDA will choose to regulate C. buxicola at this time. 

Version Française

06/18/12