That's correct.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was product.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #10 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was product.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:25 a.m.
Chief Registrar and Director General, Registration Directorate, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
That's correct.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
So there's nothing preventing Manitoba from making an application to PMRA if they want to use it through their natural resources department for predator control in agricultural areas?
10:25 a.m.
Chief Registrar and Director General, Registration Directorate, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
That's correct.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Regarding the discussion you were having earlier, talking about ClearOut 41, which is currently under OUI, and problems with recycling fees and the possibility of its becoming part of the overall GROU program or actually having the registration here in Canada, what's going to happen, then, with the recycling of those containers if they're going to be handled the same way they have historically been handled? Would there be any additional fees, or would those just be built into the pricing of the product? How would farmers go about disposing of them if it's going to be the same marketing division that's currently selling ClearOut 41?
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
If it's accepted into the GROU program, it would have to meet the same conditions as the other products under GROU. I don't know what the manufacturer intends to do with containers in Canada. As I understand it, they typically build container recycling costs right into their costs, and farmers don't see it.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
But you're saying it's still going to be marked by FNA as it currently has been under the OUI program. Is that correct?
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
FNA has the....
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
There is an OUI certificate based on FNA's application that's good until the end of June of this year.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Then after that it's going to go to GROU for the next season, or that's the intent of what you were saying.
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
Not that it would go on to GROU.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
It has been registered in Canada, and the manufacturer now intends to sell it in Canada.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
But they intend to sell it the same way, through FNA. Is that correct?
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
It is through FNA, so FNA would be the distributor, I guess.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
And then would ultimately be responsible for the disposal and the recycling of the containers?
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
Presumably, because FNA had to develop something for the OUI.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay.
The other thing, and a little bit off-topic, I think you have Dr. Delorme with you as well, and I want to talk a little bit about buffer strips.
Some concerns have been raised with some of the testing of some products and the amount of distance required, especially when you are testing new products out in the field, from other fields, as well as from residences and riparian zones. I'm just wondering what the policy is on buffer strips.
10:30 a.m.
Dr. Peter Delorme Acting Director General, Environmental Assessment Directorate, Health Canada
A strategy document was published in 2005, I believe. It was a proposed strategy, and we are still in the process of updating that.
In terms of talking with the farmers, we are aware there are concerns. I think a lot of those concerns have stemmed from the fact, as Karen indicated in her opening remarks, that as we've gone through and re-evaluated products and brought up the older products to modern standards we've imposed mitigation measures. Sometimes products in the past did not have buffer zones associated with them. They now do as a result of trying to protect the environment.
We're planning to have a workshop in the spring to get together with grower groups and to get together with scientists to try to sort out the types of habitat we need to protect.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Okay.
When you're talking about the buffer strips, some of that has been applied to existing products as well in your re-evaluation of the system?
10:30 a.m.
Acting Director General, Environmental Assessment Directorate, Health Canada
Yes.
Since 1995 we have been using basically the same method, but they have been evolving over time. We made great strides in getting a better understanding of drift characteristics in terms of developing models to model that.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
My final question, and it's been touched on, is the issue of product coming in from other countries: apples, tomatoes, and especially on the horticultural end. A lot of concern has been expressed about the safety of some of the products coming out of China.
How closely are you working with the CFIA in evaluating things like Chinese apples coming into this country for the processing and monitoring of their residues and the products they are using, since they have a track record that is less than desirable on other products?
10:30 a.m.
Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Department of Health
We have not only had discussions with CFIA, we have had discussions with our U.S. counterparts, and at a couple of NAFTA meetings we agreed to also have discussions on compliance and enforcement as part of the NAFTA work program. Quite often things happen in the United States before they happen in Canada, so we've agreed to exchange compliance and enforcement data so that either one of us is given a heads-up about what is happening in the other country.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I'm going to follow up on James's question, and also Wayne's, and talk about apples. I like apples and I like to eat a couple of them a day, so I want to make sure as a consumer that they are safe and I understand what's happening.
Apples are grown in Canada, and if they are not organic then certain pesticides are being used. Who sets the standards for the type of pesticide used and the levels of how much of that pesticide can be used? Is that you or CFIA?