1924 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 27 



THE NEW REGULATIONS UNDER THE DESTRUCTIVE INSECT 



AND PEST ACT 



Leonard S. McLaine, Division of Foreign Pests Suppression; Secretary, 

 Destructive Insect and Pest Act Advisory Board, 

 Department of Agriculture, Ottawa 



The complexities that have arisen in the past twenty-five or fifty years in 

 connection with the exchange of commodities throughout the entire world, 

 also the increase in the diversity of established trade routes, and the danger 

 that naturally results from the movement of products infested with pests and 

 diseases, have made it necessary for man to take every reasonable precaution 

 to prevent, in so far as possible, the introduction of new species of pests and 

 diseases into uninfected areas. Whether it is due to a keener sense of observa- 

 on the part of the general public, or whether it may be regarded as an established 

 fact, nevertheless, there has been apparently a great increase in the amount of 

 damage caused by insect pests and plant diseases during the past few decades. 



Although it is realized that all the pests responsible for damage on this 

 continent are not of foreign origin, many of our worst enemies are not native 

 to this hemisphere. It is also known that there are many very serious pests 

 present in the older portions of the world which might prove to be most undesir- 

 able guests if they were permitted to gain a foothold on our soil. Apparently 

 one of the most feasible means of controlling the introduction of menaces such 

 as these is by enacting laws which restrict or prohibit the importation of products 

 and commodities likely to harbour these insect pests and plant diseases. It 

 has been frequently stated that we on this side of the water are suffering from 

 too much legislation, of all kinds and description, and while that may be true, 

 I am afraid that we shall have to continue being burdened by pest legislation, 

 or until such time as it is realized by all nations and peoples that only products 

 free from pests and diseases shall be offered for exchange. A step in this 

 direction was made in 1914 by the International Phytopathological Conference, 

 which was held in Rome. Very unfortunately the Great War made it impossible 

 to continue the discussions or bring into general operation some of the resolutions 

 that were passed at that time. 



Questions in relation to legislation, however, were discussed at the recent 

 International Conference on Entomology and Phytopathology, convened by 

 the Dutch Government at Wageningen, Holland, in June, 1923, and the 

 Dominion Entomologist, Mr. Arthur Gibson, who attended this conference and 

 took part in the discussions, has informed me that the following resolution was 

 adopted : 



"The representatives of all nations assembled at this International Entomological and 

 Phytopathological Conference, June 25th-30th, 1923, at Wageningen, desire to place themselves 

 on record as in full agreement with the essentials of international trade and commerce in living 

 plants and plant products, namely, reasonable freedom from all insect pests and plant diseases of 

 all kinds of materials imported into, or exported from any country." 



The history of the introduction of the major foreign pests now present on 

 this continent is too well known to need repetition, and it is also recognized 

 that all the pests and diseases were not imported on such products as nursery 

 stock. An excellent example is the European Corn Borer, which circumstantial 

 evidence showed was imported on broom corn from Europe. This has been 

 substantiated by the finding of an outbreak of this insect at one of the ports of 

 importation for broom corn and where it was held for sterilization. As a conse- 

 quence, pest legislation should only be passed and brought into force after a 



