Pesticides are carefully regulated in Canada through a program of premarket scientific assessment, enforcement, education and information dissemination. These activities are shared among federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments, and are governed by various acts, regulations, guidelines, directives and bylaws. Although it is a complex process, regulators at all levels work together towards the common goal - helping protect Canadians from any risks posed by pesticides and ensuring that pest control products do what they claim to on the label.

What is the international situation?

Many countries consider the scientific determination of value a critical element of the pre-market evaluation of pest control products. Twenty-one of the 24 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries recently surveyed indicated that efficacy data for agricultural-use chemical pesticides are always required. Nine of 21 countries always require efficacy field tests for biopesticides such as microbials. According to recent surveys, no jurisdiction includes economic or social impacts in its routine data requirements for pesticides. However, the European Union Biocide Directive is proposing that benefits information (efficacy data and economic considerations) be included as a registration requirement for non-agricultural pesticides.

Although their regulations provide authority to require the submission of data on efficacy and economic benefit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not assess value as part of its routine registration process unless the pesticide is intended for a public health use, as a fuel preservative (e.g., to prevent clogged nozzles on an airplane) or in some other special circumstances, i.e., reduced risk products. The PMRA is discussing this difference in procedure with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the context of ongoing efforts to harmonize our regulatory processes.