User Requested Minor Use
There are many pesticide uses on minor crops that are not available to Canadian growers; this is in part due to the small market that dissuades manufacturers from registering these uses in Canada. As a consequence, the Canadian growers of minor crops may only have access to a very limited number of registered pesticide products. Many of these pesticide uses, known as "minor uses," are seen as essential to cost-effective pest control and resistance management, thereby maintaining the competitiveness and sustainability of the sectors.
In an effort to support Canadian growers in developing sustainable pest control strategies and maintaining their competitiveness in the international market, Health Canada is actively involved in several initiatives and programs to increase the number of products available to the growers of minor crops in Canada.
The department's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has put in place programs such as the User Requested Minor Use Label Expansions (URMULE) and the User Requested Minor Use Registrations (URMUR), the minor use joint reviews, and the pilot Tech Gap program.
One of the initiatives is the Minor Use Initiative in which the PMRA collaborates with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, (AAFC) and the provinces in generating the data that is needed for the registration of pesticide uses either for the control of pests on minor crops or the control of pests that appear only in limited geographic areas.
Registering Minor Uses
Minor uses of pesticides mostly receive registrations by being included in the registration of new active ingredients and new end-use products (category A submissions). To encourage pesticide manufacturers to consider the needs of minor crops the agency offers registrants the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Joint Review program and the URMUR. Registrants can also request the addition of minor crops and minor uses to the labels of registered products through category B submissions.
User Requested Programs
Two programs are reserved for user requests. The URMUR is the registration of a new active ingredient and end-use product that are already registered in a different Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country. The URMULE is the addition of a new use to an existing label of a pesticide that is already registered in Canada. URMULE and URMUR submissions are collaborative efforts between growers, provincial governments, registrants, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the PMRA. Each organization has specific responsibilities at each step of the process to ensure that the user requested minor uses arrive on the Canadian market in a timely manner.
Minor Use Documents and Information
Contact Us
The Health Canada Pest Management Information Service welcomes your questions or comments.
Please specify "Minor Use" in the subject line if emailing or request to speak with the Minor Use Coordinator if contacting via phone.
Other Useful Information
- PMRA Guidance Document, Value Guidelines for New Plant Protection Products and Label Amendments
- PMRA Guidance Document, Good Laboratory Practice Requirements for Scientific Studies Supporting Pest Control Products
- Residue chemistry guidelines: PMRA guidance document
- Lists of information requirements needed to obtain a registration (DACO Tables)