Notice from Elizabeth Hill, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA Honey Bee and Pollinator Research Coordinator:

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Dear stakeholders,

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be undertaking a new risk assessment to evaluate the risks associated with the importation of honey bee packages from the United States. The risk assessment will be conducted based on guidelines provided by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) and is expected to be completed by early next year. Should you wish to submit any new scientific information related to the health of honey bees or control programs in place to control disease agents and pests in Canada or in the United States, please send these to the CFIA at cfia.AIED-DIEA.acia@canada.ca, by August 31, 2023, at the latest.

The CFIA is committed to its mandate to protect animal health, which includes the health of the Canadian bee population. The CFIA will continue to engage with the Canadian Honey Council, the USDA, provincial governments and apiculturists and a wide range of other stakeholders with respect to Canadian honeybee health.

In addition, the CFIA continues to put significant effort into identifying and evaluating potential new sources of packaged bees and queen bees internationally. Canada currently allows imports of honey bee queens from the United States, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Ukraine, Italy and Malta, and honey bee packages from Ukraine, Italy, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.