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IPM Partnership Program
Since its creation in 1995, the PMRA has actively promoted sustainable pest management in agriculture. The following documents were produced to provide updates and IPM information on various commodities and/or pests.
Many stakeholders including representatives of grower groups, pesticide manufacturers, provincial governments, research scientists, the Canadian federal government and other non-government agencies participated in the development of these documents.
 Potato:
Late Blight
In 1995, an IPM partnership project coordinated by the PMRA and involving stakeholders from governments and industry led to the publication of two documents addressing the number one priority of the potato industry at the time: Potato Late Blight. The information contained in these documents allows a better understanding of the issues and identifies concrete actions to respond to the increase in disease incidences in Canada.
Cranberry
IPM is widely used in the production of cranberries throughout North America. Growers monitor pest occurrence and use economic thresholds before making any treatment decisions. Growers typically have considerable experience with cultural controls and with non-conventional chemical and biological controls.
An IPM manual entitled Integrated Pest Management for Cranberries in Western Canada was developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Using this manual as a model, and following consultations with stakeholders in Canada and USA, a unique and focussed action item was identified: to develop an Eastern Canada Cranberry IPM manual by the users themselves. Accordingly, the following manual was published in May 2004.
Canola
A canola IPM partnership project was initiated in 1997 to develop a sustainable pest management strategy for this commodity. As a result of this process, which was later extended as a NAFTA project, IPM awareness among North American canola growers has been promoted through several activities. This work was coordinated by a Steering Committee with the Canola Council of Canada and the PMRA as co-leads.
IPM publications found on the Canola Council of Canada web site  :
On September 3, 2004, the Canola Council of Canada launched Canol@Grow , a new agronomic tool designed to help growers and extension workers quickly find canola production information. This tool is the result of combining key elements of three existing sources of information: the Canola Growers Manual, the Canola Growers Decision Support System CD, and the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Matrix.
Richardson’s ground squirrel
A new integrated control program to control Richardson’s ground squirrels commenced in June 2003. A steering committee met to discuss ground squirrel control options, and produced a number of recommendations including research into economic effects of ground squirrels, development of action thresholds for toxicant use and exploration of non-chemical control options.
A pest profile was developed, and the committee endorsed interim measured until a complete management strategy could be elucidated. Subsequent meetings have identified resources available for determining knowledge gaps identified in the pest profile and work is continuing on a management strategy.
The Commodity-Based Risk Reduction Program
The PMRA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been working together to support the development and implementation of commodity-based risk reduction strategies for the agriculture and agri-food sector. The aim is to support the sustainabilty of Canadian commodities through the development of strategies to address priority pest control issues identified by the growers.
The following commodities have been identified as potential candidates for a risk reduction program in 2004/5: Apple, Brocolli, Rutabaga, Cabbage, Canola, Carrot, Corn, Ginseng, Onion, Peach, Soybean, Strawberry, Tomato, Wild Blueberry, and Wheat.
Projects that have been initiated in 2003 are potatoes and dry beans:
Potato: ICM in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick
The new commodity-based strategy program began in 2003 with a project on potato production in PEI and NB. The first steps of the process (e.g., crop profile, stakeholder meeting, strategy definition) have already been agreed upon. A strategy is now being implemented.
Dry bean
Exports of dry beans have been steadily rising over the last decade, reporting a 440 percent increase in dollar amounts exported since 1991. Despite the growth in bean acreage, a limit number of opportunities exist for bean growers to gain access to reduced risk chemistries.
Recent concerns regarding trade barriers, continued reliance on specific pest control products and the lack of new tools have caused the dry bean industry to investigate these issues and identify the appropriate concrete actions. A Risk Reduction partnership was initiated in 2003 to address some of these concerns. The strategy is now being implemented.
NAFTA Commodities-Based Risk Reduction Strategies
The PMRA is contributing to commodity-based agri-food strategies for North America. Coordinating selected IPM activities across North America will ensure wide availability of crop protection tools while enhancing free movement of commodities between nations.
In the coming years, the NAFTA Technical Working Group on Pesticides will identify common IPM critical needs. Canada, the United States of America and Mexico are working together to implement IPM strategies that take advantage of each country's available resources and technologies, including reduced risk and biopesticide products.
Building on the experience from the IPM canola project, commodity-based strategies for other crops significant in North American trade are being developed. NAFTA pulses risk reduction strategies have been agreed upon. These strategies will strive to pursue harmonization of Maximun Residue Limits (MRL) / tolerance discrepancies within North America, promote equal access to reduced risk pest control tools, and finalize strategies to promote sustainabilty.
Pulses
A work group consisting of U.S. and Canadian growers, commodity groups, pest control
advisors, regulators, and university specialists along with representatives from USDA,
EPA, AAFC, and PMRA met for two days in Saskatoon, Canada in June of 2002.
The purpose of the meeting was to identify the needs of pulse growers in the two countries
with reference to possible regulatory actions regarding pesticides. The outcome of this
exercise resulted in a list of critical needs, general conclusions, and tables listing the
timing of operations and the efficacies of various management tools for specific pests.
These materials have been compiled and reviewed by task force members and are
presented in a Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP) . This document and its
appendices are intended to serve as a comprehensive foundation for pest management
transition in pulse crops in the United States and Canada.The strategy is now being implemented at a national level.
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