Raspberry

As published in 2006, raspberries are grown on 2782 ha (6874 acres) in Canada. British Columbia leads in raspberry production with 83% of the national production, followed by Quebec and Ontario with 9% and 6% of the national production, respectively. Total national production stands at 9963 tonnes ( Statistics Canada).

On-Going Raspberry Strategy

Health Canada (HC) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's (AAFC) Pesticide Risk Reduction Program identified raspberries as a priority crop. General raspberry production information and issues along with pest issues are documented in the Crop Profile for Raspberry in Canada. A raspberry issues document, extracted from the Crop Profile, was used as a discussion tool in raspberry stakeholder meetings and consultations to help identify the top insect, disease and weed issues. General issues of concern and potential solutions to these issues are also discussed at these meetings. AAC's Pest Management Centre prepared both documents in consultation with the raspberry industry, the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program's Technical Working Group and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

Raspberry Stakeholder Meetings and Consultations

Ontario Stakeholder Meeting

An Ontario stakeholders meeting was held on December 13, 2006, in Mississauga, Ontario. Grower representatives from Ontario, provincial specialists, researchers and representatives from the pesticide industry attended to discuss the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program in general terms, present the issue document for comment and prioritize the issues in the raspberry industry.

Western Stakeholder Meeting

A Western raspberry stakeholder meeting was held January 9, 2007, in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Participants included grower representatives from British Columbia and Manitoba, provincial specialists, researchers and representatives from the pesticide industry. The meeting was to discuss the Risk Reduction Program in general terms, present the issue documents for comment and to prioritize issues in the raspberry industry.

Eastern Stakeholder Meeting

An Eastern raspberry stakeholder meeting was held February 19, 2007, in Moncton, New Brunswick. Participants included grower representatives from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, provincial specialists, researchers and representatives from the pesticide industry. At the meeting, the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program was discussed in general terms, the issue documents was presented for comment and issues in the raspberry industry were prioritized.

Raspberry Steering Committee

The National Steering Committee will be comprised of raspberry representatives from each province chosen at the Ontario, Eastern and Western stakeholder meetings. Initial steering committee meetings will focus on the development of a reduced risk strategy for raspberries based on information from the Ontario, Eastern and Western stakeholder meetings.

Research Funded Under the Pesticide Risk Reduction Program

The Pesticide Risk Reduction Program has funded several projects addressing raspberry issues.

Projects Funded to Date

• Field application on Metarhizium anisopliae (Met52) for management of root weevils in berry crops (Project Code: BPI07-090)
• Screening trials on raspberries to identify reduced risk solutions for insect contamination in mechanically harvested fruit (Project Code: SCR07-010)
• Screening fungicides for control of Phytophthora root rot of caneberries (raspberry) (Project Code: SCR07-004)

For further updates, please visit Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.