17/10/2005
- Shiyitang Herbs North America Inc., an Ontario company,
plead guilty today in the Ontario Court of Justice in
Mississauga on charges of illegally importing traditional
Chinese medicines (TCMs) said to contain derivatives made
from Gastrodia orchids and Saiga Antelope horn. The company
was fined a total of $1500.
An investigation conducted by Environment Canada’s Wildlife
Enforcement Division established that the accused unlawfully
imported from China 20 cartons (1600 packages) of “Tianma
Jiaonang” pills said to contain “Tianma,” which refers
to the Gastrodia Orchid, and 30 cartons (6000 packages)
of “Niuhuang Jiangya Pian” pills said to contain Saiga
Antelope. The total declared value of these 50 cartons
was almost $3,700.
The accused did not have a Chinese CITES export permit,
which is required to legally import the TCMs in question
into Canada. Shiyitang Herbs North America, Inc. was ordered
to pay a fine of $1500, including a mandatory victim surcharge
of $300. The TCMs in question have been forfeited to the
Crown.
All species of Orchids are listed under the Convention
on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES). Gastrodia orchids are listed in the
threatened category of Appendix II. The Saiga Antelope,
which is native to Western Europe and Asia, is also a
threatened species listed under Appendix II of CITES.
These species are protected under Canada’s Wild Animal
and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and
Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA) and its Regulations.
WAPPRIITA is the legislative vehicle by which Canada meets
its obligations under CITES.
The international trade in TCMs is a multi-million dollar
a year industry. Hundreds of types of TCMs have been inspected
on importation into Canada, with more than 600 of those
said to contain more than 40 CITES-listed species of animals
and plants. Many Canadian companies now obtain foreign
CITES export permits to legally import these products,
but several products are still being imported illegally.
Environment Canada provides education to the companies
who import TCMs and to practitioners who use these products.
Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible for
implementing CITES on behalf of the Government of Canada.
CITES sets controls, through a permit system, on the international
trade and movement of animal and plant species that are
endangered, or have been, or may be, threatened due to
excessive commercial exploitation. |