Officials in Canada Ask for Emergency Pesticide Approval to Fend off EAB

Provincial forestry officials in Canada are hoping for emergency federal approval of an insecticide derived from a tree grown in India that can protect against the emerald ash borer.

To date, there has been no effective control for the voracious beetle that's eliminating a key component of the region's hardwood forest. It has chewed its way across Southwestern Ontario since it was detected in Michigan in 2002, and was found for the first time in Toronto last month.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has applied for emergency registration for azadirachtin, a compound extracted from the neem tree seed that was tested on the borer in London, Ont., last summer.

"Because this is a new pest, we don't have any other products registered, we are viewing it as an emergency situation," said Rebecca Fleming, spokeswoman for the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, a branch of Health Canada, adding that a risk assessment must be conducted before it can be approved.

"It would be ideal to have the insecticide available for use this spring," provincial entomologist Taylor Scarr said. "We're very optimistic that the insecticide does work."

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