Regulatory decisions on re-evaluation of crop protection products by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) always have an impact on the edible horticulture sector. In recent years, the PMRA has prioritized the re-evaluation of older active ingredients registered before 1995. These active ingredients constituted most of the decisions issued in 2020. They also represent some critical crop protection products for the sector. The key decisions and dates from 2020 are summarized in this Crop Protection Column. 

 

The last date of on-farm use for products which have been cancelled or amended through re-evaluation has been a point of some confusion over the past few years. With clearer guidance now from PMRA on this topic, it would be useful to highlight it here.  

 

What has previously been clear is that growers have three years from the date of a PMRA final decision to the last use date on farm if all uses of a product have been cancelled. That means all crop and non-crop uses and all target pests – there are no use patterns that are acceptable for continuation on a product label. 

 

When a product is not cancelled but needs to be amended – some use patterns are acceptable to continue but not all – the date of last farm use for the cancelled uses on those labels was not previously clear. Many believed the same three-year phase out policy applied here but that is not the case. 

 

Updated PMRA guidance indicates that users will have a two-year transition period from the date of the final decision to transition to using the newly amended labels, which will be available on the PMRA Public Registry. In practical terms, if a grower has product with old label instructions for a use that has been removed by a re-evaluation decision which required label amendments, there will be a 24-month period following that decision before updated label directions must be used.

 

This provides some clarity for growers on the effective date for changes to product use information prior to application. Growers are encouraged to contact the product registrant (manufacturer) for more information to clarify last use dates and changes to product labels.

 

Key re-evaluation decisions are as follows:

 

Folpet – Group M Fungicide

Example brand: Folpan

Date of re-evaluation decision: January 23, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: None

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Apple, grape, strawberry, cucumber, pumpkin, squash, melon, tomato

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: January 23, 2022

 

Dichlorvos – Group 1B Insecticide

Example brand: DDVP

Date of re-evaluation decision: August 20, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: All

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: None

Last date of edible crop use for labels requiring amendments: August 20, 2022

Last date of use for cancelled products: August 20, 2023

 

Ethephon – Plant growth regulator

Example brand: Ethrel

Date of re-evaluation decision: September 24, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: Apple (with fruit present only)

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Tomato, cherry, blueberry, apple (without fruit)

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: September 24, 2022

 

Phosmet – Group 1B Insecticide

Example brand: Imidan

Date of re-evaluation decision: October 30, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: Grape

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Pome fruit, stone fruit, blueberry, carrot, celery, potato

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: October 30, 2022

 

Linuron – Group 7 Herbicide

Example brand: Lorox

Date of re-evaluation decision: November 5, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: Tree fruit, sweet corn, dill, coriander

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Carrot, parsnip, potato, asparagus

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: November 5, 2022

 

Mancozeb – Group M Fungicide

Example brand: Manzate

Date of re-evaluation decision: November 19, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: Seed treatments, greenhouse uses, pears, carrots, celery, lettuce, watermelon

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Potato, apple, onion, ginseng, cucumber, tomato, grape, pumpkin, squash, melon excluding watermelon

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: November 19, 2022

Last date of use for cancelled products: November 19, 2023

 

Thiophanate-methyl – Group 1 Fungicide

Example brand: Senator

Date of re-evaluation decision: December 3, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: Dust application to potato seed

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: Pome fruit, stone fruit, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry (lowbush), seed treatment of sweet corn and potato with non-dust formulations

Users must follow updated label directions for acceptable uses by: December 3, 2022

Last date of use for cancelled products: December 3, 2023

 

Chlorpyrifos – Group 1B Insecticide

Example brand: Lorsban

Date of re-evaluation decision: December 10, 2020

Edible crop uses cancelled: All

Edible crop uses acceptable to continue with new mitigation measures: None

Last date of edible crop use for labels requiring amendments: December 10, 2022

Last date of use for cancelled products: December 10, 2023