Question Period Note: Pesticide Regulation Concerns

Q1 – What is the Government doing to ensure that Canadian farmers have access to products that their American counterparts can use, such as lambda-cyhalothrin? Q2 – When will Maximum Residue Limits increases be considered for glyphosate? Q3 – What is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) doing to reach the COP15 pesticide-related risk reduction target? Q4 – Will AAFC shift its commitments to COP15 in light of the European President's withdrawal from its commitment (Sustainable Use Regulation) to Reduce Pesticide use by 50% by 2030? Q5 – What does Canada think of the EU's approach to pesticides?

R.1 - The Government has a strong track record of collaborating with growers, provinces, registrants and its US counterparts on pest control products. The Government of Canada created an FPT working group to share information on Canada and the United States’ approaches to pesticide regulation and propose solutions to overcome associated challenges. In July 2024, the FPT working group’s action plan received unanimous support of FPT ministers and is currently being implemented. R.2 - MRL increases have been implemented in a staggered manner, beginning with less complicated proposals before addressing more complex ones such as glyphosate.
The federal government has developed an enhanced proactive communication plan around Maximum Residue Limits to maintain and strengthen public confidence. R.3 - AAFC supported the development of Canada’s National Nature Strategy which reflects Canada’s contributions to meeting the agreed global target, including the pesticide-related risk reduction target.
The Government has also allocated funding to support research of pest management solutions and facilitating their adoption. R.4 - Canada remains committed to implementing the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This includes a global commitment to reducing the overall risk from pesticides by at least half by 2030.
Canada has always advocated for a science-based risk management approach to address this commitment, that also takes into account food security and livelihoods. R.5 - Canada has strongly pressed the EU to recognize there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ model for sustainable production.
Canada has also strongly advocated for the EU to adopt a risk-based approach. This is especially important in the current context of global food security concerns.

Pesticides and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA)
Pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) are essential tools for producers to secure crop yield and quality each season. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for registering pesticides for use in Canada. Registered pesticides are re-evaluated every 15 years. Their prevalence in agriculture and media linkages to environmental and human health have raised the profile of these products within the general public.
As part of the assessment process prior to the registration of a pesticide, Health Canada must determine that the consumption of the maximum amount of residues expected to remain on food products when a pesticide is used according to label directions will not be a concern to human health. This maximum amount is then legally established as a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) under the Pest Control Products Act. Enforcement of these MRLs is conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency under the Food and Drugs Act and associated regulations. MRLs are sometimes revised following the cyclical re-evaluation process for pesticides.

PMRA Transformation
On August 4, 2021, in response to public concerns regarding the increase or establishment of MRLs for several pesticides, including glyphosate, the ministers of Health, Environment and Climate Change, and Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced a pause on proposed increases to MRLs until spring 2022, as well as the transformation of the PMRA.

PMRA’s Scientific Advisory Committee
On June 27, 2022, the PMRA announced the establishment of its Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). It consists of nine external core volunteer expert members. The role of the SAC is circumscribed as PMRA will retain sole authority on regulatory pesticide decisions.
In July 2023, the co-chair of the SAC publicly resigned from his position stating that PMRA used outdated methods to assess pesticides. He also opined that the pesticides industry was exerting undue influence on Canada's pesticide regulator, the PMRA. The story of this resignation was picked up by various media outlets, many of whom had previously published stories about the pesticide industry’s alleged control over PMRA.
The last SAC meeting, which occurred in June 2024, focused on glyphosate and the establishment of Maximum Reside Levels for this product.

The June 20th, 2023, Announcement
On June 20, 2023, Health Canada, along with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and AAFC, announced the next steps in the ongoing pesticide regulatory transformation agenda. This included the gradual lifting of the pause of increases to Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides in Canada and amendments to the Greening Government Strategy, which will eliminate the cosmetic use of pesticides on federal lands. Although some MRLs have been increased, the pause has not yet been lifted for glyphosate. Glyphosate is the most used pesticide in the world and makes up for more than half of all agricultural pesticides sold in Canada every year. Due to its popularity, glyphosate is both the most produced and studied product, while being at the center of the very polarized debate on pesticides.
The agricultural sector hasrelayed its concerns with the non-scientific nature of the MRL pause and is eager to see MRL increases for glyphosate.

Budget 2024
As part of the Federal government’s 2024 Budget, $39 million over two years (2024-25 & 2025-26) was earmarked for “Sustainable Pesticide Management”. The majority of these funds will be allocated to Health Canada’s PMRA. The funding will support PMRA, to continue the implementation and maintenance of initiatives that began as part of the 2021-2024 Transformation Agenda, including integration of functions into day-to-day operations, and the remaining funds will be allocated to AAFC to develop novel pest control solutions.

Lambda-Cyhalothrin
Lambda-cyhalothrin (or simply, lambda) is a synthetic insecticide used to control a broad range of insect pests on a wide variety of crops in Western Canada. In 2018 PMRA completed its cyclical re-evaluation of lambda and proposed to cancel its use on commodities destined for animal feed due to human health concerns. This decision came into effect this growing season. Therefore, Canadian growers cannot use lambda on most crops destined for feed. Furthermore, Syngenta, the largest manufacturer of lambda-cyhalothrin, informed Western Canadian resellers that it will no longer be selling this product as it would be difficult to ensure user compliance with PMRA’s decision. Moreover, in 2024, as per PMRA’s decisions, MRLs will come into force and no lambda residues will be tolerated on most feed.

Like most broad-spectrum insecticides, there are limited alternatives which are as efficient and wide-ranging as lambda. Lambda is a very important tool for industry, who have voiced their concerns to AAFC regarding PMRA’s decision.

PMRA is currently reviewing additional data provided through a US research program received in December 2023 the additional studies specific to lambda-cyhalothrin. PMRA is also reviewing an application made by Syngenta to reinstate feed uses on lambda-cyhalothrin.

In July 2024, PMRA received another application from the registrant, this time to reinstate feed uses for certain crops. PMRA is currently evaluating this latest application.

FPT Working Group
From July 19 to 21, 2023, Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) ministers discussed the agriculture and agri-food sector’s key issues during their annual conference. The importance of lambda-cyhalothrin was raised during the conference. Ministers agreed to create an FPT working group to explore the challenges of pesticide management.
A summary of the working group’s discussions and recommendations to improve regulatory outcomes were summarized in a public report. The working group’s report was presented in February 2024 to FPT ministers, and its recommendations obtained unanimous support. The group was also asked to develop an action plan to implement its recommendations.

During the July 2024 Annual Conference, the working group presented its action plan. FPT ministers supported the plan and sought regular updates from the working group. Furthermore, ministers agreed to launch a ministerial working group on pesticides.

COP15
From December 7 to 19, 2022, Canada welcomed delegates from around the world to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Parties at COP15 agreed on a historic global framework to safeguard nature and halt and reverse biodiversity loss, putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050.

The agreement includes a commitment to reduce the risk from pesticides on the environment but does not represent a mandatory reduction in pesticide use (target 7). Led by ECCC, the federal government worked closely with the sector, Provinces and Territories, and other partners to develop and release its 2030 Nature Strategy. AAFC is monitoring efforts led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to develop a global indicator to measure progress on reducing risks to biodiversity from pesticides under Target 7. Industry has raised concerns over the FAO’s proposed indicator which industry believes focuses on pesticide use, instead of risk.  

Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy outlines that AAFC will provide guidance through the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, which is currently under development, on pathways to improve environmental outcomes that further enhance the optimization of nutrient and pesticide application through beneficial management practices and precision agriculture technologies. AAFC will also explore opportunities to reduce data gaps related to on-farm use of pesticides and adoption of beneficial management practices.

The European President's Withdrawal from the EU's Commitment to Reduce Pesticides use by 50% by 2030
On February 6, 2024, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced plans to withdraw from the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), which sought to cut pesticide use in half by 2030. The EU had aimed to halve the use of the chemicals by 2030 as part of its Green Deal aimed at tackling climate change, which included a ban on the use of pesticides in many areas, including public parks, gardens, schools and sports fields.

President von der Leyen cited that the SUR, which was rejected by the European Parliament, had become a “symbol of polarization”. Farmers across the EU have argued that reducing the amount of pesticide they are allowed to use would negatively impact their crops, and negatively impact food production. The February 2024 shift in policy direction was made in the context of mounting pressure from farmers’ protests across Europe, including France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, and Spain. The EU Parliament elections took place in June 2024, which will be followed by the establishment of a new European Commission in Fall 2024. It is unclear what direction the EU will take on pesticides under the new Commission

Canada continues to be committed to implementing the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework , which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The Framework includes a focus on reducing the overall risk from pesticides by at least half by 2030. There are many ways to reduce risk that are not correlated to reduction in pesticide use, for example, the timing of application, the effectiveness of a given product, science, and other pest management approaches.

• Farmers work diligently to ensure good stewardship practices around the use of pesticides.

• The Government, farmers, and consumers all share a common priority of ensuring that food is safe for both human health and the environment.

• To support farmers’ need for crop protection, Budget 2024 earmarked 39 million over two years for “Sustainable Pesticide Management”.

• We recognize the importance of crop protection products, and we are actively working with provinces and territories to help farmers overcome the challenges associated with pest control.