Government a compliance watchdog | Industry associations will be responsible for certifying products for effectiveness
Federal government agricultural inspectors will soon spend more of their time auditing and less time performing physical inspections.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency delivers 14 inspection programs related to food safety, plant and crop production and animal health. Each has its own enforcement, verification and inspection methods and looks at risk management differently.
According to CFIA documents circulated through newly struck industry committees over the past three weeks, the government intends to put industry in charge of its own hazard control and quality compliance programs, while government will provide “oversight verification through audit.”
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The CFIA is introducing a standardized “outcome-based inspection approach” system and plans to have a draft process in place for review by the end of the summer.
Kristian Stephans of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) sits on one of four fertilizer and crop nutrients committees: safety, efficacy and quality, labelling, definitions and exemptions.
“We are in the early stages of this process, and the government has told us it is withdrawing from quality and efficacy,” he said.
The CFI is providing the 27 committee members with administrative support during the eight months of regulatory review. It also represents the fertilizer industry with four members, one per committee.
Greg Northey of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture said he feels CFI’s leadership has been good.
Labelling, product definitions, standards, regulations and registration requirements are all cited as being outdated and creating impediments to business that increase costs and slow the adoption of new products by the Canadian marketplace.
The government said it plans to strengthen regulatory controls for product safety, environmental stewardship and consumer protection.
It also said that a shortage of staff and financial resources has resulted in some fertilizer and crop supplement products being available in Canada for the past year without being registered, which creates an unfair playing field for companies that adhere to the regulations.
It said in documents that the new system would most likely hand over to industry associations the responsibility for certifying products’ contents and effectiveness.
At the moment, anyone marketing crop products in Canada must provide proof of product efficacy in the regional market where they are sold. Fertilizer quality is tested regularly to ensure its content meets manufacturers’ claims.
Under the proposed changes, organizations such as the CFI might be considered as gatekeepers and certifiers, while the government would ensure public and environmental safety and could take a role in ensuring compliance with new regulations administered by industry.
“We are moving from a marketplace where all products met regulatory requirements for quality, and farmers knew that if a product was registered for sale it did what the seller said it would,” said Richard Phillips of Grain Growers of Canada, who represents farmers on the review group.
“We are moving to a buyer beware system. For farmers, we are hoping to get some things on the table that will help them in the new marketplace….”
Business might not change much for larger manufacturers and retailers and for high quality dealers, other than lowering some costs for testing new products. However, the government has indicated there might be increased cost recovery fees in some parts of the system.
Phillips said reputable companies will belong to associations and will likely police themselves, but others might avoid those industry certifications.
“There will be good and bad to this. Faster availability of new tools and products that meet market niches will be advantages.”
He said the government needs to ensure that affordable product testing of less than $100 for nutrients is available to farmers.
Committee members still haven’t discussed the rumored on-farm storage regulations that are expected to be introduced as a part of the Modernization of the Fertilizers Regulations process.
“That might be voluntary too, but it could be anhydrous ammonia standards,” Phillips said.
“If the dealer knows you don’t handle the product properly they won’t sell to you. It relies on everyone looking over each other’s shoulders.”
He said the process will likely involve standards such as storage next to riparian areas and waterways.
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency will review its act next year. It is a much more modern act, already containing outcome-based elements and acceptance of information from other jurisdictions. However, its fee structure hasn’t been reviewed since the 1990s so it will likely see increases.
