The Pest Management Regulatory Agency says an explosion in minor use product registrations is giving farmers access to more plant protection products.
Many of them are reduced risk and more environmentally friendly, PMRA executive director Karen Dodds told the House of Commons agriculture committee Jan. 29.
“We’ve registered more new active ingredients in major new uses in this fiscal year, that’s the first half of this fiscal year, than all of last fiscal year,” she said.
“In 2007, these registrations yielded 479 new minor uses for growers from a wide range of agricultural sectors.”
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She also reported that PMRA is doing more joint assessments of active ingredients with other countries.
Meanwhile, the approval during the past year of the first three North American Free Trade Agreement labels is the beginning of a process that will give Canadian farmers access to more new products at the same time as American farmers receive them.
The result of the increased applications for product registration is that the PMRA record on speedy registrations has slipped, but more products are getting onto the market.
It was an upbeat report from an agency that often has been subjected to MP scorn as they related complaints from their constituents.
MPs gave Dodds much of the credit for the turnaround.
“If there is one agency that has probably been named as being a bit of a thorn in farmers’ sides, it’s the way PMRA has worked in the past,” veteran Ontario Liberal MP Paul Steckle told her.
“I believe we have moved beyond that to a point where I see some progress and this is possible today probably thanks to a lot of your work.”
Ontario Conservative Guy Lauzon, parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, complimented Dodds on improving relations between the agency and farmers.
She said it has been her policy to meet and listen to as many farmers and farm leaders as possible.
“I wouldn’t say that it’s certainly been the situation for much of PMRA’s history,” she told Lauzon.
“I have spoken with farmers who probably wanted to throw rotten tomatoes at me but I have spoken with farmers who are very interested in trying to improve their growing practices and their agricultural practices.”
PMRA chief registrar Richard Aucoin told MPs that the move toward international joint reviews means Canadian food products could have easier access to markets where the same pesticides are used.
Dodds said PMRA also has introduced an improved system that will simplify and speed up registration of generic pesticide products.
It likely was her last appearance on Parliament Hill to answer for PMRA performance. She will soon leave the agency.
