Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Pesticide Registration
General Information about Pesticide Registration
Registration of Pesticides in Canada
All Pesticides must be registered by Health Canada before they can be sold or used in Canada. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada is responsible for registering pesticides in Canada. Once a pesticide is registered in Canada, it is given a Pest Control Products Number or PCP #. This number must be on the label of any pesticide sold or used in Canada. Companies that want to have their pesticides registered in Canada must submit detailed information and data that will be evaluated by the PMRA. The information provided lets the PMRA decide if the product can be registered. A decision to register the pesticide will only be made if the product does not pose unacceptable risks to people or the environment and if it is effective.
- The registration process is described in PMRA's Factsheet on the Regulation of Pesticides in Canada.
Re-evaluation of Older Pesticides
The PMRA also re-evaluates registered pesticides. The PMRA is currently re-evaluating all pesticides registered before 1995. They are coordinating their re-evaluation with the US and are attempting to have all food use active ingredients re-evaluated before 2006 and all non food use active ingredients by 2008. This re-evaluation will include 401 active ingredients. The re-evaluations may result in changes to the use and availability of pesticides. Some possible outcomes for re-evaluation may include changes to application rates or number of applications allowed, addition of re-entry intervals on labels, improvement to labels, addition of buffer zones to labels, or requests for additional data. Re-evaluation could also result in changed requirements for personal protective equipment, the need to use closed systems, modifications to packaging, new formulations, or the discontinuation of certain or all uses of an active ingredient. Before the PMRA makes a decision on re-evaluation, they consult with stakeholders by posting a document on their web site. The PMRA also posts the final decisions about a pesticides registration in documents called Re-evaluation Decision Documents. These documents are at:
After a pesticide is registered in Canada it may be considered for emergency registrations or minor use registrations. The following sections provide information on emergency registration and minor use registration.
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