Food inspection agency isn't doing enough to halt invasive species at border, report warns.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is not doing enough to make sure pests that destroy crops and trees stay out of the country, and it focuses too much effort on inspecting goods headed to other lands, Auditor General Sheila Fraser said yesterday.

"The impact that invasive species can have either on biodiversity or on the economy of the country are potentially very significant," Fraser told reporters before presenting her audit in the House of Commons.

Pests like the Asian long-horned beetle, which has been damaging hardwood trees such as maples and threatening the maple syrup industry since it was detected in Vaughan in 2003, have caused seven plant health emergencies across the country that have cost the federal government more than $140 million to manage.

"It's obviously much better to try to stop this at the border before they come in and become established in the country," Fraser said. The CFIA, with help from the Canada Border Services Agency at ports of entry, is responsible for stopping these invaders before they cause major damage to the $100 billion agriculture and forestry sectors.

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