2023 FSMC (formerly AGM Moth) entry policy for ships

24 Feb 2023 / Canada

The High Risk period for Flighted Spongy Moth Complex (FSMC; formerly AGM Moth) introduction via ships entering Western Canadian ports begins March 1, 2023…

…Agents must notify CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] of a high risk vessel’s arrival 96 hours in advance of arriving in Canadian waters. When the appropriate paperwork has been provided, the CFIA will send the agent electronic confirmation that the vessel may enter.

Vessels arriving without advance notification and/or certification are considered noncompliant and are subject to enforcement action.

Regulated vessels inspected for FSMC are subject to applicable fees as listed in the CFIA Fees Notice.

All marine vessels entering Canada are subject to inspection at any time of the year to verify freedom from FSMC.

The Specified Risk Periods (SRPs) for Japan and Russia were revised in 2022 and are in full effect.

RUSSIAN FAR EAST
- Ports or prefecture: Nakhodka, Ol'ga, Plastun, Pos'yet, Russkiy Island, Slavyanka, Vanino, Vladivostok, Vostochny, Zarubino, Kozmino
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: June 15 to October 15

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
- Ports or prefecture: All ports in northern China, including all ports on or north of 31°15´ - Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: June 1 to September 30

REPUBLIC OF KOREA
- Ports or prefecture: All ports
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: June 1 to September 30

JAPAN - NORTHERN
- Ports or prefecture: Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Akita, Yamagata
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: June 15 to October 15

JAPAN – CENTRAL/WESTERN
- Ports or prefecture: Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: June 1 to September 30

JAPAN – SOUTHERN
- Ports or prefecture: Wakayama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Kagawa, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi, Fukuoka, Oita, Saga, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Kagoshima
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: May 15 to August 31

JAPAN – FAR SOUTHERN
- Ports or prefecture: Okinawa
- Specified Risk Period 2022-2023: May 25 to June 30

Vessels which have met requirements of Section 2.1 of D-95-03 AND are found free of FSMC after inspection by United States Customs and Border Protection (US-CBP), Chile’s Servicio Agricola Y Ganadero (SAG), or New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) may enter a Canadian port without inspection, provided that the report of inspection is presented to CFIA in conjunction with arrival notification. Vessels that do not present the US-CBP, SAG, or MPI Inspection Report in advance are still subject to inspection and related fees.

Please note that all marine vessels entering Canada must be free from all life stages of FSMC. Upon inspection, if a CFIA inspector is not satisfied that the risk of introducing FSMC can be mitigated, the vessel will be ordered out of Canadian waters and refused entry for up to two years during the High Risk Period for Canada or until the ship meets the requirements.

We recommend agents and stakeholders advise crews to maintain good ship cleaning practices such as minimizing rust, storing excess equipment, and clearing debris from the outer decks of vessels, as this will help reduce the chance of FSMC infestation while in regulated areas. This helps to minimize sheltered surface area where egg masses may be deposited, and also improves the efficacy of the FSMC certification inspection and vessel self-inspection. In addition, this will reduce the inspection time at arrival in Canada and allow the CFIA maximum access to vessel structure to assist in compliance decisions.

In recent years, very high numbers of moths were observed in many regulated ports. Due to these population outbreaks, a high number of vessels arrived in North American ports with FSMC egg masses. To prevent a similarly high number of vessels with egg masses arriving in 2023, extra vigilance by vessels in conducting self-inspection— in addition to obtaining FSMC certification— is requested...

(For information about operations in Canada, contact the GAC Houston Hub Agency Center at [email protected])

Source: Extracts from Canadian Food Inspection Agency memo dated 20 February 2023

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.