Advantage Good Agricultural Practices Manual

Definitions and Examples of Terms

This section contains definitions and examples of terms used in the Advantage Good Agricultural Practices flow charts and manual.

Definitions

Approved animal health product: A health product that has passed a Health Canada regulatory process and can be legally sold in Canada. Animal health products are available as non-prescription items (over the counter) or by veterinary prescription only.

Cleaning: The removal of dirt, dust, manure and chemical residues from surfaces.

Drug residues: Amount of animal health product that may be found in meat, eggs, milk, honey or fish at the point of sale. Health Canada determines what limits are considered safe. Residues below the defined maximum limit are legal; residues above the defined maximum limit are illegal and the lot cannot be sold for human consumption.

Extra-label or off-label use: The use or intended use of a drug approved by Health Canada in an animal in a manner not in accordance with the label or package insert. It also includes the use of all unapproved drugs, including unapproved bulk active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and compounded drugs.

Integrated pest management (IPM): The process of planning and taking steps that will prevent or control pests.

Lot number: A number or code assigned to uniquely represent a batch or group of inputs, products, animals, crops and/or outputs that have been produced and/or processed or packaged under similar circumstances.

Non-agricultural source material (NASM): Includes sewage biosolids, wood chips, pulp and paper biosolids, food processing wastes, and any other material that is not from an agricultural source but can be applied to land as a nutrient.

Nutrient: Any material applied to the land for the purpose of improving the growing of agricultural crops.

Pest Control Product Number (PCP#): A Pest Control Product Act registration number that shows that the product has been registered by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). All pesticides registered under the Federal Pest Control Product Act must be classified by Ontario's Pesticide Advisory Committee before they can be offered for sale or used in Ontario.

Potable water: Water that is safe for human drinking or consumption, unless defined otherwise by regulations.

Pre-Grazing Interval (PGI): The amount of time that must pass between the application of pesticides to a crop and the grazing of animals on that crop.

Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI): The amount of time that must pass between the application of pesticides to a crop and the harvesting of that crop.

Premises: A premises is a parcel of land associated with a legal description or geo-referenced co-ordinates, on which, or on any part of which, animals and/or crops are kept, grown, assembled and/or disposed of.

Sanitizing: A process whereby a clean surface is coated with an approved chemical solution/water mix to kill or reduce pathogens.

Traceability: The ability to trace the use, history, application or location of an item or activity by means of recorded information.

Water quality: A term used to describe the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its intended use.

Withdrawal period: The recommended minimum time between the last use of an animal health product and the slaughter of an animal for food or the harvesting of milk or eggs from treated animals or birds for human consumption.

Worker: Includes owner; family members; supervisors; full-time, part-time and seasonal workers; and volunteers.

Examples

Animal health products: Antimicrobials, vaccines, parasite control products, hormones, vitamins, alternative health products, medicated feed and water-soluble medicines.

Bedding: Straw, hay, sand, shredded paper, wood chips, shavings or sawdust.

Deadstock: According to the current regulation, "dead animal" covers on-farm livestock mortalities for five species (horses, sheep, goats, swine and cattle). For the purposes of this manual, the term "deadstock" covers all on-farm mortalities.

General farm waste: All garbage and waste materials generated through normal production processes, including vegetable culls, cracked eggs, and vegetable and barn wash water.

Inputs: Gasoline, lubricants, paint, detergents and cleaning chemicals, bedding, feed (forages, grains and feed byproducts), seed, mulch, fertilizers, building materials, machinery, parts, tools, pesticides and animal health products.

Medical waste: Used medical equipment (e.g. needles), unused or expired medicated feed, animal health products, packaging and/or containers.

Pesticide waste: Unwanted pesticides and/or containers.

Pests: Rodents, insects, flies and wildlife.

Potentially hazardous products: Lubricants and fuel; pesticides and seed treated with pesticides; cleaning and sanitizing products; and animal health products such as medicated feed, antibiotics and vaccines.