| 1. |
Q. What is the federal government doing about Plum Pox Virus? |
| A. The Government of Canada is investing $39.9 million in a comprehensive three-year plan designed for rapid containment of the disease with the long-term goal of eradication, while maintaining the viability of Canada's tender fruit industry. The plan has been agreed to by the Canadian and Ontario governments and is based on consultations with the industry and scientific evidence collected and examined since Plum Pox Virus was discovered in Canada. The federal government will be working in partnership with Ontario to deliver the program. The plan will be assessed each year, with a major evaluation after three years. |
| 2. |
Q. What about the quarantine zones that were established in spring of 2001? |
| A. The quarantine zones established by the Canadian Food inspection Agency (CFIA) are an essential part of the plum pox containment plan and will be maintained until the disease is eradicated. |
| 3. |
Q. What surveying will be conducted under the plan? |
| A. The CFIA will be collecting and testing approximately 60,000 samples this year - 30,000 in the Niagara Region and 30,000 in other tender fruit growing areas of Ontario and the rest of Canada. The targeted survey plans are prioritized to support eradication actions in the isolated quarantine zones and for those sites detected with PPV within the Niagara region.
AGRICORP, with funding from the federal government, will be collecting and testing approximately 72,000 samples this year in the Niagara Region. AGRICORP will be sampling orchards not tested last year and those orchards that had no detections of the virus in 2000.
Researchers will also be collecting samples from ornamental and the native plants in the Niagara region near orchards detected with Plum Pox virus in 2000 to determine if Plum Pox virus can be detected in any of these plants. |
| 4. |
Q. When will sampling begin, and how long will this sampling and tree removal go on? |
| A. Sampling is already being conducted by AGRICORP and CFIA. Growers will be contacted to set up appointments for sampling crews to collect leaf samples and map orchards as required. Crews plan on collecting samples over the summer and into fall. |
| 5. |
Q. How will infected trees be dealt with under the plan? |
| A. All orchard trees detected with PPV by CFIA will be ordered removed. The CFIA will retest, on a priority basis, any trees detected with PPV by AGRICORP. In the isolated areas (i.e. Fonthill, Cedar Springs and Vittoria), all blocks with one or more trees detected with the disease will be ordered removed. In Niagara, only blocks having a 10% or higher rate of infection will be ordered removed. |
| 6. |
Q. What research will be conducted? |
| A. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will lead a research effort to examine the Plum Pox Virus in the Canadian context. Priority will be on potential hosts such as P. cistena and native plants and possible natural vectors. Part of this research will involve sampling ornamental and native plants near orchards in the Niagara region that were detected with Plum Pox virus in 2000.
CFIA will lead research into better identifying the Plum Pox Virus isolates in Canada, improving methods of detecting the virus and studying the susceptibility of certain hosts using graft transmission.
Ontario will support applied research related to Plum Pox Virus. |
| 7. |
Q. What will be done about certification of replacement trees? |
| A. Canada and Ontario will jointly support industry-led initiatives to develop certification protocols and facilities for both fruit trees and ornamentals. As an interim measure, the governments will support Plum Pox Virus testing of replacement trees and sources of propagative material such as budwood. |
| 8. |
Q. What training will be available under the plan? |
| A. Ontario will support training on the identification of trees infected by Plum Pox Virus and improved record keeping on the source, treatment and composition of their orchards. |
| 9. |
Q. The plan does not mention financial assistance. What assistance will be available to affected tender fruit growers and nursery operators? |
| A. Canada, under the Plant Protection Act, will provide compensation to commercial tender fruit growers for orchard trees ordered removed, related soil preparation and the planting of a replacement tree.
The governments of Canada, Ontario and Nova Scotia are committed to additional financial assistance to both tender fruit growers and nursery operators affected by the Plum Pox infection. Government officials are now working out details of the assistance packages in consultation with the industries involved. |
| 10. |
Q. When will we know the details of the compensation plan, and when will growers see cheques -especially for 2000 removals? |
| A. As soon as the provincial and federal governments finalize the details of an agreement on financial assistance, AGRICORP will administer the financial assistance program and is designing the forms now. It is hoped that application forms related to the year 2000 removals will be mailed to growers in the next few weeks. |
| 11. |
Q. When can a grower replant if trees are ordered removed from his/her orchard? |
| A. CFIA is responsible for determining the fallow period. The type of rootstock, the number of trees removed and the status of surrounding orchards determine the fallow period. In many cases, trees removed one year can be replanted the following spring. If trees had plum or apricot rootstock, or entire blocks were removed, the fallow period is generally one year. Growers should refer to their Notice to Dispose issued by CFIA or contact CFIA directly. |
| 12. |
Q. Who should a grower call if they see symptoms of PPV in their orchards? |
| A. Visible symptoms should be reported to Kevin Bureau or Violet Galvin at the St. Catharines CFIA office.. Growers can call (905) 938-5060 and ask to speak with Kevin or Violet. CFIA will then have staff visit the suspect area, verify visuals and initiate plans for required follow up surveys and testing. |
| 13. |
Q. When will my orchard be surveyed? |
| A. Sampling is underway in the areas of Ontario outside the Niagara region. In the Niagara region, sampling has started in the western side of the Niagara quarantine zone, (Grimsby area) and sampling will gradually move east toward the Niagara on the Lake area. |
| 14. |
Q. Where can I get information on Plum Pox and the general results of this year's Plum Pox surveying? |
| A. Information on Plum Pox is available on the CFIA web site at www.inspection.gc.ca |
| 15. |
Q. How will I find out whether or not the surveys detected Plum Pox in my orchard? |
| A. If Plum Pox is detected in your orchard by the CFIA, the CFIA will notify you and you will be given a Notice to Dispose for any trees (or in some cases, blocks) detected with Plum Pox. If Plum Pox is not detected in your orchard, you will not be notified by the CFIA. Although notification of affected growers is carried out as soon as possible, it may take several weeks for the testing to be completed and the results available. |