Ministry of Agriculture
Pesticide Registration
Emergency Registration
About Emergency Registrations
What is an emergency registration?
Emergency registrations are time limited registrations, granted by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for a period of one year or less. Emergency registrations can be applied for through the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture. Submission packages are coordinated by the Minor Use Pesticide Coordinator (phone 604-556-3001) with the help of the industry specialists, provincial plant health staff, grower organizations, registrants, and others. They are not intended to solve ongoing pest problems, and are normally granted only twice by PMRA, however there are exceptions.
How long does it take?
It takes about 1 week to gather all the information together and prepare a submission package, and 2 to 6 weeks for PMRA to review the information and make a decision.
Does my situation warrant this type of registration?
An emergency is generally deemed to exist when the following criteria are met:
- a pest outbreak or pest situation occurs that can cause significant economic, environmental or health problems;
- there is no effective product or application method registered in Canada for the control of the pest; and
- there is no effective, alternative control method available.
What do I need to include in my emergency registration proposal?
Requests for emergency registration must include the
following:
(Note: see the
Pest Management Regulatory Agency website Regulatory Directive
DIR 2001-05 for more details.)
- A covering letter indicating the purpose of the submission (signed by grower organization).
- A completed application form: PMRA–ARLA/6005. In general, one application per province is required; if the emergency situation is widespread, exceptions can be arranged with PMRA.
- Letters of provincial government support/no objection to the emergency use; i.e.: one from the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, and one from the Ministry of Environment.
- A letter of support from the chemical company is required.
- A draft supplemental label (usually obtained from the
company by the sponsor).
- Appropriate fees and fee form: PMRA-ARLA/ 6011. The fee is currently CDN$262, payable to the Receiver General of Canada, normally provided by the sponsor or provided by a grower Association or other organization.
- A thorough description of the emergency situation
including:
- nature and scope of the problem;
- an explanation of why the pest was not previously a problem;
- explanation of when an emergency exists, e.g., when a specific percent of a crop is affected; and
- rationale indicating how emergency criteria have been met.
- Pesticide(s) proposed for use:
- common, trade and chemical (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) names for pesticide(s) proposed;
- Canadian Registration Number or Research Permit Number (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] registration number, if the proposed pesticide is an EPA-registered product);
- rate and number of applications;
- application method(s);
- quantity of active ingredient or product per application;
- proposed pre-harvest interval, if for crop use;
- location of pest infestation and proposed treatment (maps or latitudes and longitudes should be provided);
- total hectares (or other units), which should not be in excess of the need to deal with the emergency;
- length of time that the material must be available to cope with the current problem;
- whether adequate supply or inventory of product is available to meet this need; and
- whether products have to be imported or re-labeled.
- Data:
- residue data when appropriate, or suitable supporting documents;
- Data supporting the efficacy of the proposed product(s) and other health or environmental data may be required.
- Benefits and losses: Applicants should discuss the
anticipated benefits, economic or otherwise, and losses that
would occur with and without the emergency registration. For
example, the discussion of economics for agricultural uses
should include the following:
- the cost of production of crop over the past four years and an estimation for the upcoming crop year;
- the crop yields over the past four years, and a comparison of expected yield with and without the proposed treatment;
- the price received for crop (in appropriate units) over the past four years and an estimation of the price for the upcoming season;
- an estimation of the percentage of the pest controlled with registered pesticides over the past four years;
- an estimation of percentage of the pest expected to be controlled during the upcoming crop year with registered pesticides and with the pesticide proposed for emergency registration; and
- the resulting comparison of expected value of crop, with and without the proposed treatment.
- If the information is not available (e.g., in cases of the occurrence of a new pest at an established site), an applicant should explain the lack of availability of information and discuss anticipated economic benefits and losses in other appropriate terms.
- For emergency uses other than agriculture, a comparison of expected impact with and without the proposed treatment should be provided.
- Discussion of currently registered pesticides and alternative control methods: All pesticides currently registered for the stated site and pest combination, as well as all relevant alternative control measures, must be identified. Also, an in-depth explanation must be given explaining why these are ineffective or cannot be used to cope with the emergency. It is important that the explanation fully cover the ineffectiveness or lack of availability of registered pesticides and that, where possible, empirical data supporting ineffectiveness be submitted.
- Crop production information, pest biology, and any other documents that support the request (factsheets, production guide pages, Planning for Profit budgets, etc).
Who should I call for more information?
Caroline Bedard, the B.C. Minor Use Coordinator at 604 556-3028.
Link to information and labels for current Emergency Registrations:
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