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June 26, 2015

Canadian Province Finalizes Neonic Reduction Rule

Lisa M. Campbell James V. Aidala Lisa R. Burchi

The Canadian province of Ontario has issued its final regulations under the Ontario Pesticides Act aimed at reducing the area planted with maize and soybean seed treated with neonicotinoid insecticides.  These changes have been made as part of its broader strategy to protect pollinators, and aim to reach an 80 percent reduction in the number of hectares planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed by 2017


The new rules create a new class of pesticides, known as “Class 12 pesticides.”  This class applies to corn seed grown for grain or silage, and soybean seeds treated with the following neonicotinoid insecticides: imidacloprid; thiamethoxam; and clothianidin.  The new regulations will not apply to popping corn, sweet corn, corn used for the production of seed, or soybean seeds planted for the purpose of producing a soybean seed crop of certified status. 


The new system established by these regulations will take effect on July 1, 2015, and be phased in over time.  The elements include but are not limited to the following:

  • Integrated Pest Management Training:  The regulations will require farmers to complete training on integrated pest management methods.  To encourage participation, training will be offered for free until September 1, 2016; after that time, training will be provided at a cost.  After August 31, 2016, any person (e.g., farmer) who purchases neonicotinoid-treated seeds will be required to have completed the integrated pest management training course and received a certification number, which will be valid for five years.
  • Pest Assessment Reports: Farmers wanting to buy and plant neonicotinoid-treated seed on more than 50 percent of the total area of their corn and soybean crop will need to complete a pest assessment report and provide it to the sales representative or seed vendor from which they purchase the seeds.   
  • Requirements for Vendor Licenses for the Sale of Neonicotinoid-Treated Seeds:  The regulations will require companies selling neonicotinoid-treated seeds to obtain a treated seed vendor’s license, notify purchasers that the seed is a neonicotinoid-treated seed, and offer untreated seed for purchase, among other requirements.  Growers will only be able to buy and use neonicotinoid-treated seeds that vendors have put on the “Class 12 Pesticides List,” a list updated by August of each year. 
  • Tracking of the Sale of Neonicotinoid-Treated Seeds:  The regulations will require the annual submission of the sales of treated seeds “to ensure an open and transparent system to track progress.”  The Ministry of the Environment will publicly report amalgamated sales and seed treatment data for neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed.

 
The regulations do not include requirements for the transport and storage of Class 12 pesticides.
 
Further information is available at the below links:
 

 
It is important to consider these new requirements in conjunction with those being developed in the U.S.  EPA’s approach to date in considering additional restrictions to neonicotinoid pesticides to protect pollinators appears to focus not as much on reducing the use of products, but instead on controlling and preventing unwanted exposure of pollinators to these products. 
 
In recent weeks, the U.S. government issued a “National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators” on May 19, and on May 28, EPA released for comment: “EPA’s Proposal to Mitigate Exposure to Bees from Acutely Toxic Pesticide Products.”