CropLife Canada response to FPT Working Group on Pesticides
CropLife Canada is pleased that the FPT Ministers of Agriculture have committed to the continuation of the FPT Working Group on Pesticide Management and that they have established a new Ministerial group on pesticides. This is a testament to the importance and contribution of pesticides to the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of the agriculture sector across the country, and to the role provinces play in facilitating access to these critical tools.
The newly formed ministerial working group provides a unique opportunity for ministers to give strategic advice and recommendations to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) related to pesticide regulation to support the continued protection of the health and safety of Canadians and their environment, as well as enable access to innovation for Canadian growers.
This is especially important in a time where several initiatives from the PMRA threaten to negatively impact growers’ access to safe and effective tools to protect their crops. In particular, Health Canada’s proposed cost-recovery framework, which includes a 256% increase in registration fees for pesticides, would limit innovation and would put Canada at a significant competitive disadvantage compared to its main competitor, the United States. Furthermore, the on-going PMRA Transformation Agenda, which has proven to be both costly and ineffective, continues to divert resources that should be invested on scientific core work and product registration towards activities that deliver few, if any, benefits for Canadians or the agricultural sector.
The plant science industry shares in the FPT Ministers of Agriculture’s commitment to support the competitiveness of Canadian growers through access to safe and effective pest control tools enabled through a science and evidence-based approach to regulation. We are ready and willing to engage with the Working Group and ministers on this important topic to advance Canadian agriculture.