Ontario Pest Management Research and Services Committee
2005 Executive Summary

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• Ontario Pest Management Research and Services Committee 2005 Executive Summary - Printable PDF version

Pest Management

The Ontario Pest Management Research & Services Committee (OPMRSC) met on December 8, 2005 to consider cross commodity pest management issues. Dr. Ken Campbell of the Pest Management Centre (PMC), Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) presented an update on the progress of the PMC relating to minor use research. Issues identified by the technical working groups were considered along with those forwarded from the Ontario Horticultural Crops Research and Services Committee, the Ontario Field Crops Research and Services Committee and the Ontario Weed Committee.

Several issues were identified and discussed, including the increased incidence of invasive alien species (insects, diseases and weeds) and their continued use as non-tariff trade barriers. The need for improved access to low risk, environmentally friendly crop protection materials, including biological and biorational materials, continue to affect the industry at all levels. The delivery of IPM services is still a concern, especially in areas of the province where there is no IPM consultant available. While AAFC and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) continue their activities related to the development of reduced risk strategies, these can only be implemented if there is an adequate integrated pest management (IPM) infrastructure in place. Concern was expressed over a perceived shift in pesticide application. That is, the new lower risk pesticides now being registered are being marketed with the concept of insurance instead of controlling the pest when it is present at economic levels. This approach could potentially lead to increased pesticide use. Human resource issues in the research and technology transfer communities continue to concern the committee. Finally, extreme disappointment was expressed by the Ontario Field Crop Protection Sub-Committee regarding the response to Recommendation # 2 from last year regarding Integrated Pest Management Research in the new OMAFRA – University of Guelph Research Program Structure.

Four recommendations were formulated from the reports and discussions.

• Lack of a strategy for delivery of IPM programs and reduced risk strategies for Ontario,
• Loss of current registrations for minor crops as a result of the additional cost of registration for changes in formulation to currently registered products,
• Occupational exposure data requirements for greenhouse related URMULEs and their lack of harmonization with the US requirements, and
• Request that PMRA approach municipalities that are making illegal recommendations of non-registered pest control products.

In response to concerns expressed in 2004, an ad hoc committee of the OPMRSC was struck to develop general guidelines for the technical working groups. This was completed and presented to the committee for comment/approval.

Recommendations Arising From Gaps/Barriers, 2005

• Non-Harmonized requirements for occupational exposure studies for greenhouse pesticides means PMC should continue to accept a leadership role in generating dislodgeable foliar residue (DFR) data required by PMRA for the registration of priority pesticides in the future. Additionally, the PMC take a lead role in negotiating with the PMRA the reasonableness of their demands for occupational exposure (OE) data and whether other scientific approaches could equally well satisfy their demands for DFR and other OE data.
• The PMRA show leadership and educate the municipalities on the requirements of the Pest Control Products Act and where necessary enforcement of the Pest Control Products Act.
• OMAFRA investigate, review and evaluate existing delivery models and move to adapt a model to address the gaps in IPM delivery in Ontario.
• The PMRA reduce the data requirements for bridging data required to add uses from an old to a new pesticide formulation. The additional costs force manufactures to drop some uses which are critical to minor crop areas.

For a complete copy of the report go to : http://www.uoguelph.ca/research/omafra/forms/oascc.shtml

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