Proposed Registration Decision PRD2026-05, AGRI-MEK SC, containing Abamectin

• Health Canada
• Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
• Pesticides Regulatory Directorate
• 28 April 2026
• ISSN: 1925-0886 (PDF version)
• Catalogue number: H113-9/2026-5E-PDF (PDF version)

Summary

Table of contents

• Proposed registration decision for abamectin
• What does Health Canada consider when making a registration decision?
• What is abamectin?
• Health considerations
• Environmental considerations
• Value considerations
• Measures to minimize risk
• Next steps
• Other information

Proposed registration decision for abamectin

Health Canada, pursuant to subsection 28(1) of the Pest Control Products Act, is proposing registration for the sale and use of AGRI-MEK SC, containing the technical grade active ingredient abamectin, to control stem and bulb nematodes (Ditylenchus dipsaci) on garlic bulbs. This evaluation was completed under the User Requested Minor Use Label Expansion program, which is a cooperative program between Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Health Canada and includes participation by sponsors groups, manufacturers, and both provincial and federal governments.

Abamectin is an acaricide/insecticide registered for use on a wide-range of outdoor field-grown fruit and vegetable crops, outdoor ornamentals, greenhouse vegetables and greenhouse ornamentals for the control or suppression of a variety of agricultural pests such as mites, sawflies, moths, thrips, leafminers, psyllids, aphids and certain beetles (use-site categories 5, 6, 12, 13, 14, 27 and 33). It is also registered for commercial and domestic indoor and/or outdoor structural use to control cockroaches and ants (use-site category 20). For details, see Proposed Registration Decision PRD2001-01, Abamectin – Raid Max Roach Bait, Registration Decision RD2001-02, Abamectin Raid Max Roach Bait, Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2023-01, Abamectin and Its Associated End-use Products and Re-evaluation Decision RVD2025-04, Abamectin and Its Associated End-use Products.

An evaluation of available scientific information found that, under the approved conditions of use, the health and environmental risks and the value of the pest control product is acceptable.

This summary describes the key points of the evaluation, while the of the full version of Proposed Registration Decision PRD2026-05, AGRI-MEK SC, containing Abamectin provides detailed technical information on the human health, environmental and value assessments of AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin.

What does Health Canada consider when making a registration decision?

The primary objective of the Pest Control Products Act is to prevent unacceptable risks to individuals and the environment from the use of pest control products. Health or environmental risk is considered acceptable^{Footnote 1} if there is reasonable certainty that no harm to human health, future generations or the environment will result from use or exposure to the product under its proposed conditions of registration. The Act also requires that products have value^{Footnote 2} when used according to the label directions. Conditions of registration may include precautionary measures on the product label to further reduce risk.

To reach its decisions, Health Canada applies modern, rigorous risk-assessment methods and policies. These methods consider the unique characteristics of sensitive subpopulations in humans (for example, children). They also consider the unique characteristics of organisms in the environment. These methods and policies also consider the nature of the effects observed and the uncertainties when predicting the impact of pesticides. For more information on how Health Canada regulates pesticides, the assessment process and risk-reduction programs, please visit the Pesticides and pest management portion of Canada.ca.

Before making a final registration decision on AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin, Health Canada will consider any written comments received from the public directly related to the proposed decision in PRD2026-05.^{Footnote 3} Health Canada will then publish a Registration Decision^{Footnote 4} on AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin, which will include the decision, the reasons for it, a summary of comments received on the proposed registration decision and Health Canada's response to these comments.

For more details on the information presented in this summary, please refer to the Science evaluation of PRD2026-05.

What is abamectin?

Abamectin is an insecticide, miticide, and nematicide registered against insect and mite pests on fruit and vegetable crops. It affects nerve and muscle action by disrupting the nervous system leading to paralysis and death.

Health considerations

Can approved uses of abamectin affect human health?

AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin, is unlikely to affect your health when used according to label directions.

Potential exposure to abamectin may occur through the diet (food and drinking water), when handling and applying the end-use product, or when coming into contact with treated surfaces. When assessing health risks, two key factors are considered:

• the levels at which no health effects occur, and
• the levels to which people may be exposed.

The levels used to assess risks are established to protect the most sensitive human population (for example, children and nursing mothers). As such, sex and gender are taken into account in the risk assessment. Only uses for which the exposure is well below levels that cause no effects in animal testing are considered acceptable for registration.

Toxicology studies in laboratory animals describe potential health effects from varying levels of exposure to a chemical and identify the dose level at which no effects are observed. The health effects noted in animals occur at dose levels more than 100-times higher (and often much higher) than levels to which humans are normally exposed when pesticide products are used according to label directions.

In laboratory animals, the end-use product AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin, was of high acute toxicity via the oral route; consequently, the signal word and hazard statement "DANGER – POISON" are required on the label. It was of low acute toxicity via the dermal route and was of moderate acute toxicity via the inhalation route of exposure. It was not irritating to the eyes or skin, and did not cause an allergic skin reaction.

Prior to the initial registration of abamectin, registrant-supplied short- and long-term (lifetime) animal toxicity tests, as well as information from the published scientific literature, were assessed for the potential of abamectin to cause neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, chronic toxicity, cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and various other effects. The most sensitive endpoints for risk assessment were effects on the nervous system. There was an indication that the young animal was more sensitive than the adult animal. The risk assessment protects against the effects noted above and other potential effects by ensuring that the level of exposure to humans is well below the lowest dose level at which these effects occurred in animal tests.

Occupational risks from handling AGRI-MEK SC

Occupational risks are not of health concern when AGRI-MEK SC is used according to the proposed label directions, which include protective measures.

Workers mixing, loading or applying AGRI-MEK SC, and workers handling treated garlic while planting can be exposed to abamectin residues through direct skin contact or through inhalation. Therefore, the label specifies that anyone mixing, loading and applying AGRI-MEK SC must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, a respirator, socks and chemical-resistant footwear. The label also requires that workers handling treated garlic seed cloves after treatment to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, and chemical-resistant gloves. Furthermore, the label prohibits workers from planting treated garlic cloves by hand. Taking into consideration the proposed label statements, type of application (soak tank) and the duration of exposure for handlers and postapplication workers, the risks to these individuals from exposure to AGRI-MEK SC are not of health concern when the end-use product is used according to the proposed label directions.

Health risks to bystanders

Bystander risks are not of health concern when AGRI-MEK SC is used according to the proposed label directions.

The potential for bystander exposure is anticipated to be negligible since there is no potential for spray drift given the application method. Therefore, health risks to bystanders are not of concern when the end-use product is used according to the label directions.

Residues in food and drinking water

Dietary risks from food and drinking water are not of health concern.

Aggregate acute dietary (food plus drinking water) intake estimates indicated that the general population and all population subgroups are exposed to less than 41% of the acute reference dose, and therefore are not of health concern.

Aggregate chronic dietary (food plus drinking water) intake estimates indicated that the general population and all population subgroups are exposed to less than 23% of the acceptable daily intake, and therefore are not of health concern.

The Food and Drugs Act prohibits the sale of adulterated food, that is, food containing a pesticide residue that exceeds the established maximum residue limit (MRL). Pesticide MRLs are established for Food and Drugs Act purposes through the evaluation of scientific data under the Pest Control Products Act. The dietary risks from the consumption of foods are shown to be acceptable when abamectin is used according to the supported label directions. Furthermore, the established 0.01 ppm MRL for residues of abamectin in/on garlic is adequate, therefore, a new MRL is not being proposed as a result of this assessment.

To support the use expansion to garlic, requirements stipulated in SPN2018-01 "Guidance on Streamlined Residue Chemistry Data Requirements for Seed Treatment Uses and Potato Seed-Piece Applications" (19 March 2018) were considered. As abamectin is currently registered for foliar use on garlic, and the combined foliar plus garlic clove soak treatment rate does not exceed 125% of the registered maximum seasonal foliar application rate, no additional residue chemistry data are required given that a complete residue chemistry database is available to support the foliar use. The MRL for abamectin in/on garlic established in support of the foliar use also covers the residues expected from the garlic clove soak treatment.

Environmental considerations

What happens when abamectin is introduced into the environment?

When AGRI-MEK SC is used according to label directions, the environmental risk associated with the new use of abamectin on garlic cloves is acceptable.

Abamectin is currently used as a spray on several types of agricultural crops while they are growing outdoors. The proposed use on garlic cloves is not expected to increase the exposure of plants and animals in the environment to abamectin compared to its current uses on outdoor crops. Thus, the environmental risk resulting from the use of AGRI-MEK SC on garlic cloves is acceptable when users follow current label directions.

Value considerations

What is the value of AGRI-MEK SC?

AGRI-MEK SC controls stem and bulb nematodes (SBN) on garlic.

AGRI-MEK SC is applied to garlic bulbs to control stem and bulb nematodes (Ditylenchus dipsaci) that are on or near the planted bulb. The registration of this pesticide use offers an additional method of managing SBN in combination with soil fumigants and an in-furrow product that manages nematodes in the soil. Abamectin is the only insecticide belonging to the mode of action Group 6, and therefore is a valuable tool in resistance management.

Measures to minimize risk

Labels of registered pesticide products include specific instructions for use. Directions include risk-reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. These directions must be followed by law.

The key risk-reduction measures being proposed on the label of AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin to address the potential risks identified in this assessment are as follows.

Key risk-reduction measures - Human health

To reduce the potential exposure of workers to abamectin through direct skin contact or inhalation of sprays, workers mixing, loading and applying AGRI-MEK SC and performing cleaning and repair activities must wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks, chemical-resistant footwear. In addition, mixer/loaders and applicators must wear a respirator with a NIOSH-approved organic-vapour-removing cartridge with a prefilter approved for pesticides, or a NIOSH-approved canister approved for pesticides.

The label also requires postapplication workers to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, chemical-resistant gloves, socks and shoes while handling treated garlic seed cloves or when working with or around equipment used to transport and plant treated garlic. Furthermore, the planting of treated garlic cloves by hand is prohibited.

Key risk-reduction measures - Environment

No additional mitigation label statements are required on the label of AGRI-MEK SC.

Next steps

Before making a final registration decision on AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin, Health Canada will consider any written comments received from the public that are directly related to this proposed decision, such as comments directed to the science evaluation, in response to PRD2026-05 up to 45 days from the date of publication (by 12 June 2026) of PRD2026-05. Please forward all comments to Pesticides Regulatory Directorate's Publications, through the Public Engagement Portal (Public Engagement Portal forms – Consultation Comment). Health Canada will then publish a Registration Decision, which will include its decision, the reasons for it, a summary of comments received on the proposed decision and Health Canada's response to these comments.

Other information

When Health Canada makes its registration decision, it will publish a Registration Decision on AGRI-MEK SC, containing abamectin (based on the Science evaluation of PRD2026-05). In addition, the test data referenced in PRD2026-05 will be available for public inspection, upon application, in the Pesticides Regulatory Directorate's Reading Room. For more information or if you have questions, please contact the Pesticides Information Service.