Canada granted an extension to Italy for the exports of kiwifruit but, in the meantime, negotiations continue between the phytosanitary services of the two countries to reach an agreement for the 2017/18 campaign.
In the past few days, the manager of Canada's horticultural and plant protection section Patricia McAllister informed Italy's phytosanitary service that "the requirements regarding Lobesia botrana were published a few months ago but they have not been complied with."
The Canadians demand the implementation of a procedure to guarantee that kiwifruit is Lobesia botrana-free. In general, thanks to Italy's climate, there is no risk of finding the European grapevine moth on kiwifruit, but Canada requires a protocol to guarantee its absence anyway.
Italy can count on various methods to comply with Canada's requirements - one of these is the integrated control system, which not only enables them to suppress parasites, but has a low environmental impact and keeps residues below the threshold allowed. Canada had previously accepted a similar protocol for table grapes.
Canadian directive D-13-03 is currently being revised. The updated version will be issued by Cfia and will include an update for kiwifruit and other plants potentially in danger. Exporter countries will be notified by the WTO.
Contacts:
Cfia: tel: +1 6137737166
Sito: www.inspection.gc.ca