CropLife Canada today expressed its support for Minister of Health Tony Clement's two new regulations to govern pesticide use as part of Canada's Chemicals Management Plan.

"The crop protection industry has always worked closely with government regulators to ensure that our products are as effective and safe as possible, for both people and the environment," said Lorne Hepworth, President of
CropLife Canada. "We have great confidence in Canada's stringent regulatory system for pest control products and we look forward to working co-operatively with the government in terms of implementing these new regulations next spring under the Chemicals Management Plan."

Pest control products are regulated in Canada under the federal Pest Control Products Act. The Act and the Pest Control Products regulations together provide the legislative mandate to regulate pest control products in Canada. Minister Clement's announcement today of two new regulations regarding adverse effects reporting and sales information reporting have been the subject of ongoing consultations.

Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) administers both the Act and regulations on behalf of the Minister of Health. A new Pest Control Products Act was given Royal Assent on December 12, 2002, and was
brought into force with the revised Regulations on June 28, 2006. The new Regulations announced today by Minister Clement are to take effect in the New Year.

Hepworth said CropLife Canada supports Minister Clement's decision to have incident reporting and sales reporting directed to the PMRA, whose experienced scientists are in the best position to use this information in managing risks to the public.

Hepworth also applauds the government's decision to heighten transparency of the regulatory system by posting the results of the incident and sales reports on the PMRA's website. "These efforts not only improve how products are regulated but also contribute to public confidence in the regulatory process," he said.

In announcing the Chemicals Management Plan last week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the role pest control products play "to improve the quality of our lives, to increase food production, to cure illness, and to
bring us many of the comforts and conveniences of modern life."

"Health Canada has had a strong program for re-evaluating current pest control products underway for some time. This announcement strengthens these efforts and adds new resources to this important work," Hepworth said.

CropLife Canada is the non-profit trade association representing manufacturers, developers and distributors of plant life science solutions for agriculture, forestry and pest management. Its members are committed to
sustainable pest management that benefits not just their industry, but its millions of consumers and the environment in which we all live.