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PMRA to discontinue conditional registrations of pesticides

Thursday, January 21, 2016

by SUSAN MANN

The decision by Canada’s pesticide regulator to discontinue conditional registrations of pesticides as of June 1 will have minimal impact on the crop protection industry.

That’s the conclusion of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) in a written notice on its website announcing the change. Comments are due by March 19.

PMRA says in its notice “any impact of this approach is expected to be minimal.” Furthermore, “granting of conditional registrations has decreased substantially in recent years to the point where they represent about one per cent of all registered products in Canada, and there will be no impact on the process by which applicants apply for and obtain a full registration,” the notice says.

After June 1, a full public consultation will occur in a timely manner before each decision to register a new pesticide is made. Existing conditional registrations will be monitored “to ensure the required information is received and reviewed by PMRA in a timely manner,” the notice says.

Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott says in a Jan. 19 news release the change is “an important step in improving the openness and transparency of Canada’s pesticide regulatory system.”

Pesticides are registered in Canada after a rigorous scientific evaluation determines there’s no harm to human health, future generations or the environment from exposure or use, the release says.

Conditional registrations have been occasionally granted when the scientific review determines the risks of a pesticide are acceptable but the pesticide manufacturer must file additional information. “Unlike full registrations, conditional registrations do not undergo a public consultation until the registration is amended, reviewed or converted to a full registration,” according to the release.

Discontinuing conditional registrations of pest control products “will provide reassurance that all pesticide registration decisions are made with the same high level of scientific and public scrutiny,” the release says.

Pierre Petelle, vice president of chemistry at CropLife Canada, the group representing pesticide manufacturers and biotechnology companies, says by email “conditional registrations have long been misunderstood and we hope this move will increase the public’s confidence in Canada’s world class regulatory system.”

He also notes any products that received a conditional registration from Health Canada’s PMRA has passed through the health and safety assessments.

The organization also anticipates Health Canada will continue with its commitment to deliver a predictable, science-based regulatory system. “Health and safety has always been a shared priority between Health Canada and our industry and this will continue,” Petelle says.

Debra Conlon, Grain Farmers of Ontario government relations manager, says the change may mean it could take a little longer for a product to be registered. “The conditional registration just meant there wasn’t any consultation period but they (PMRA) got the same amount of data in.”

She adds “Health Canada has a rigorous system that we rely on to make sure those products are safe, and if they think this is the right change then we support it.”

PMRA says in its notice a number of government organizations recommended the agency review how it handles the conditional registrations, including the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development. BF

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