Attention Protected Producers! There is a new national standard on the block.
The Protected Agriculture Stewardship Standards were established
to assist protected agriculture operators in the identification and mitigation
of risk associated with pesticide application. This set of standards was
drafted by a multi-stakeholder committee including CropLife Canada in
collaboration provincial and federal grower groups. Health Canada's Pest
Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)
acted in an advisory capacity to guide development of the standards.
The standards apply to ANY crops grown under structures, such as
greenhouses, shade houses, hoop houses, high tunnels, warehouses, containers
etc. This new motion requires a certificate in order to purchase any pest
control products registered for use in protected spaces effective January 1,
2024. This includes biological-based products, as well as conventional
chemistries.
There are two general streams associated with this new set of
standards:
Category 1PA -> Protected Ag Operators using
any closed loop irrigation/chemigation systems. A closed loop system is one
where any excess irrigation/chemigation liquid delivered to the crop is
captured via trough. drainage tile, or other similar conveyance system.
Operators using these systems are referred to as Category 1Pa Operators.
NOTE: warehouse production structures and freight container
growing operations with no subterranean plumbing and continuous flooring are
excluded from this group
Category 2PA -> Protected Ag Operators
not using closed loop irrigation/chemigation systems are referred to as
Category 2PA Operators.
The path forward looks different depending on which of the two
streams your particular farm falls into.
-For those who have both types of irrigation/chemigation on their
farm, a category 2 waiver is not needed. Follow through the path for Category
1PA.
-For farms that have multiple locations/addresses -
- A
site spanning multiple address that are adjacent to one another will be
considered a single site
- Multiple
addresses that are NOT adjacent to one another will each be treated as a
separate assessment, and a separate registration must be completed.
-What happens if I am currently a Category 2PA operator, and we
install a closed loop system in all/some of our operation?
-
When a category 2 waiver is completed, the operator agrees to
terms, including notifying the AWSA of any changes in use, scope, or
category. In these cases, the operation should be audited for compliance
with the Standards. Once successfully audited, a certificate will be
issued which renders the original category 2 waiver redundant.
Stay tuned for details on an upcoming virtual
Q&A session with a representative from CropLife in the next month! This
will be a great opportunity to get clarity on the new standards effective
January 1, 2024. Deadline to Register is December 31, 2023.
In the meantime, feel free to explore AWSA's page on the Protected
Agriculture Stewardship Standards and the resources provided
there.
-Talia