Canada’s New Government Invests Over $2.8 Million in the Fight Against the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle

GREEN HILL, NS - Canada’s New Government will invest $2.84 million over the next three years to defend Nova Scotia against the threat of the brown spruce longhorn beetle. The new funding was announced today by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Minister MacKay was speaking in Green Hill on behalf of the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, and the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister Responsible for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“Based on sound science, our Government along with our partners will explore ways to control and mitigate the damage caused by this beetle in Nova Scotia,” said Minister MacKay. “This funding is for collaborative research efforts to develop new technologies to detect, control and slow the spread of the beetle.”

The brown spruce longhorn beetle is an invasive alien pest that was first detected about eight years ago in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax. Despite efforts to eradicate the beetle, it has proven to be hard to control.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are jointly funding the three-year science project to study the beetle and determine new options for control. The research will examine the risk and impact of beetle infestation, risk mitigation, natural dispersal, natural control and other options for slowing the spread of the beetle, such as pheromone-based management.

The research project is part of Canada’s continued commitment to working with provincial and municipal partners and other government agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture, to develop strategies to control and prevent the spread of the brown spruce longhorn beetle.

Additional information on the brown spruce longhorn beetle is available on the CFIA Web site at www.inspection.gc.ca and the NRCan Web site at http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/index/summarybslb.