Question Period Note: PESTICIDE REGULATION CONCERNS

Q1 – What is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada doing to support farmers that require access to minor use pesticide products? Q2 – What is the Government doing to protect farmers from the devastating effects of Richardson Ground Squirrels (RGS) following the loss of strychnine? Q3 – What is Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) doing to reach the COP15 pesticide-related risk reduction target? Q4 – What does Canada think of the EU's approach to pesticides?

R.1 - The Government recognizes that one of the keys to a farmers’ success is having access to varied and effective tools to protect their crops and continues to work with provincial, territorial and industry partners to address the challenges around pesticide management.
Which is why the Government continues to support the implementation of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Pesticide Management Plan.
R.2 - Due to concerns for human and environmental safety, strychnine is no longer available to control ground squirrels.

We continue to work with provinces and industry to find an integrated and innovative strategy to prevent future losses and damage to crops, done by ground squirrels. R.3 - AAFC supported the development of Canada’s 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 alternative pest management solutions and facilitating their adoption. R.4 - 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 outlining the importance of supporting strong international supply chains founded on science-based rules in the current geopolitical context.

Pesticides and the 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.

PMRA Transformation
On August 4, 2021, in response to public concerns regarding the increase or establishment of MRLs for several pesticides, including glyphosate, the previous 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.

On June 20, 2023, next steps were announced the in the ongoing pesticide regulatory transformation agenda. This included the gradual lifting of the pause of increases to MRLs for pesticides in Canada. 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 has relayed 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 were allocated to Health Canada’s PMRA. Reducing PMRA Red Tape and Adding an Economic Lens to its Mandate
As the Government of Canada conducts its Red Tape Review, Agricultural stakeholders, including CropLife Canada, have requested that the PMRA review or cease many of its current approaches and activities, especially those related to the transformation. This request also included a review of their proposed fee increase as stakeholders highlighted their concerns with the current political, economic and trade instability.

The federal government committed to adding an economic lens to pesticide regulations, while also protecting environmental and human health. AAFC will continue to engage with PMRA on how this commitment will be operationalized.

Advocacy Against the Loss of Strychnine
Strychnine has been the pesticide of choice for producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan for controlling Richardson’s Ground Squirrel (RGS). However, on March 4, 2020, PMRA cancelled the use of strychnine for the control of RGS due to primary and secondary poisonings of non-target mammals.

Many industry groups and, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan have shared their concerns with the PMRA and AAFC on the decision to ban strychnine. They have outlined this pest’s impacts on producers and their ability to manage the spread of RGS.

AAFC does not possess any scientific expertise in this area; this capacity lies with the provinces and academia. However, AAFC could support provincially led research in this area through cost-shared funds from the Regional Collaborative Partnership Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP). This Program aims to increase cooperation among provincial and territorial governments to address agricultural priorities that extend beyond their own jurisdiction, but that are not quite national in scope.

This program could therefore be used to address pest issues that cross provincial boundaries, such as RGS. AAFC would welcome a joint Alberta-Saskatchewan proposal that seeks to collaborate on innovative, cross-border, approaches to managing RGS.
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 and 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. Officials from the have been actively engaged in the work that the FPT working group has initiated, and there has been good FPT collaboration on this important file.

An update from the FPT working group on the action plan deliverables is being planned for the next agricultural ministers meeting in September 2025.

While FPT ministers endorsed the FPT Pesticide Management Action Plan in 2024, several PTs pushed for greater action, including the development of a new ministerial working group. This was noted in the 2024 Annual Conference communique.

This ministerial working group is a PT-led initiative. Saskatchewan and Ontario have been leading the development of a Terms of Reference for this group. AAFC has reviewed these draft Terms of Reference, which position this as a voluntary, time-limited group that would meet about twice per year to hear updates from officials on issues as raised and on the advancement of the Pesticide Management Action Plan.

In the coming weeks, AAFC expects Saskatchewan and Ontario to send a call-out to other provincial ministers to invite them to participate in this working group. AAFC’s level of participation has yet to be determined.

Working Group Request from l’Association des Producteurs Maraîchers du Québec (APMQ)
Starting in 2024, to help counter the loss of Betamix™, an important herbicide for beet growers, the Ministère de l’Agriculture, Pêcheries et Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) submitted or sought to submit various emergency registrations with the PMRA. This included a request for Spin Aid™.
PMRA has denied these emergency registration attempts and Quebec Beet growers, have voiced their displeasure. According to the industry association representing them, l’Association des Producteurs Maraîchers du Québec (APMQ), the current lack of herbicides affects the overall viability of beet growing.
This issue is further compounded by the fact that U.S. beet growers can use Spin Aid™.

The APMQ’s current advocacy efforts prioritize the lack of access to pest control products. The APMQ has requested the creation of a working group with the PMRA, AAFC and MAPAQ. PMRA has agreed to this APMQ request. AAFC will manage this working group and is awaiting on PMRA to name their representative.

They have also denounced the lack of resources for the Pest Management Centre (PMC). The PMC is currently exploring all means of optimizing efficiency withing its current funding envelope in order to continue supporting Canadian growers of minor crops by generating data for the registration of new minor uses of pesticide.

UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP15
At its 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) in December 2022, Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed on a historic global biodiversity framework to safeguard nature and halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

The agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, includes a commitment to reduce the risk from pesticides on the environment but does not represent a mandatory reduction in pesticide use (target 7). At a resumed session of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP 16.2) in February 2025, parties agreed to allow a choice between two options for the global indicator for the pesticides risk reduction commitment, based on a country’s national circumstances and availability of a methodology. Industry has raised concerns over one of the proposed indicators, which they have said focuses on pesticide use, instead of risk.

The Government of Canada will be reviewing both indicator options for feasibility of reporting and suitability to reflect the environmental risks in Canada.

Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy reflects Canada’s contributions to meeting the agreed global target and outlines that AAFC will provide guidance on pathways to improve environmental outcomes of pesticide application through beneficial management practices and precision agriculture technologies.
 

The European Union’s approach to Pesticides uses
On February 6, 2024, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced plans to withdraw from the Sustainable Use Regulation.

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. The Green Deal ultimately became a “symbol of polarization.” The February 2024 shift in policy direction was announced in the context of mounting pressure from farmers’ protests across Europe, including France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, and Spain.

On February 19th, 2025, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen released his Vision for Agriculture and Food aiming to balance sustainability, food security, and farmer concerns which emphasized stronger alignment of global production standards. Crucially, it calls for a “fairer global level playing field,” including restrictions on imports that use pesticides banned in the EU for health or environmental reasons. This could act as a non-tariff barrier for Canadian agriculture exports if our approved pesticide use diverges from EU rules. Canada is closely tracking this issue and advocating that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sustainable production.

• We understand that having access to varied and effective crop protection tools is one of the keys to a farmers’ success.

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

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