Vietnam has released a revised quarantine pest list, which no longer includes creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense), thus ending restrictions on Canadian cereal exports to the country, an Aug. 25 news release said. The move comes following advocacy from the Canadian government and industry.
“We are pleased with Vietnam’s decision to remove creeping thistle as a pest of concern,” Dean Dias, CEO of Cereals Canada, said in the release. “With creeping thistle on the quarantine pest list, Canadian grain cargoes faced the risk of commercial penalty. This change means that exports of Canadian cereals to Vietnam will be able to resume in bulk shipment for the first time since 2018.”
The release noted, creeping thistle, also known as Canada thistle or field thistle, is a perennial species of flowering plant that can be found across countries in the Northern Hemisphere including Canada, the United States, and Europe. In 2018, Vietnam announced that it would place phytosanitary restrictions on wheat from countries where creeping thistle can be found.
“Cereals Canada has worked closely with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to help remove this non-tariff trade barrier,” Dias said. “With this positive development, we look forward to the resumption of regular cereals trade between Canada and Vietnam.”
In 2021, Canadian wheat exports to Vietnam fell to just over 20,000 tonnes from over 200,000 tonnes annually prior to the restriction.
The decision will come into effect on Sept. 29, 2023.
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