Consultation on Imidacloprid and its Associated End-use Products: Pollinator Re-evaluation, Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2018-12

Health Canada is consulting Canadians on its proposed re-evaluation decision of the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid following an updated pollinator risk assessment.

Imidacloprid is used by agricultural workers and licensed applicators to protect crops from insects. It can be applied to the ground, to leaves (foliar), to seeds, and as a tree injection. A list of imidacloprid products can be found in the Pesticide Label Search database.

This pollinator assessment (PRVD2018-12, Imidacloprid and its Associated End-use Products: Pollinator Re-evaluation) is the last piece of the re-evaluation of imidacloprid. In November 2016, Health Canada published a Proposed Re-evaluation Decision for Imidacloprid (PRVD 2016-20) that assessed health and environmental risks but did not include an assessment of impacts on pollinators. In that document, Health Canada proposed phasing out all agricultural uses and many other outdoor uses of imidacloprid over three to five years for the protection of the environment.

This 2018 proposed regulatory decision is the pollinator risk assessment. It considers all additional information since Health Canada’s 2016 Re-evaluation Note, Re-evaluation of Imidacloprid – Preliminary Pollinator Assessment (REV2016-05). It does not affect the 2016 proposed decision on agricultural and other uses.

This proposed re-evaluation decision document describes:

• How risks to insect pollinators were identified and evaluated
• Uses of imidacloprid that do not pose risks to pollinators and are proposed to continue
• Proposed changes to uses that have been found to pose risks to pollinators

To further protect pollinators, Health Canada is proposing the following changes to the way imidacloprid can be used:

• Phase-out of foliar application on orchard fruit, some tree nuts, and most small fruit and berries
• Phase-out of soil uses on berries, some ornamentals and herbs, and outdoor-grown fruiting vegetables, cucurbits, and legumes
• Changes to the timing of foliar application on some tree nuts, strawberries, grapes, fruiting vegetables, legumes, potatoes, peanuts, tobacco, hops, and some herbs.
• Additional protective label instructions for cereal and legume seed treatment uses

All comments will be taken into consideration before making a final decision. Stakeholders may wish to provide information on the feasibility of these proposed changes, as well as potential impacts on pest management practices.
For more information on the imidacloprid pollinator assessment proposed decision open the “Proposed Re-evaluation Decision”.

How to Get Involved

This consultation is open for comment from 31 May 2018 to 29 August 2018 (90 calendar days).

To comment on PRVD2018-12:

Step 1  Request the full consultation document to read the Science Evaluation that is the basis of this proposed regulatory decision.

Step 2  Submit comments to the PMRA Publications Section.

All comments received will be considered. A final re-evaluation decision will consider additional scientific information provided during the public comment period.

Please refer to the document title (for example: PRVD2018-12, Imidacloprid and its Associated End-use Products: Pollinator Re-evaluation) when providing comments.

Reporting to Canadians

Health Canada will make the results of this consultation available on this website. Once the decision is finalized, the PMRA will post a Re-evaluation Decision on the Pesticides and Pest Management Reports and Publications portion of Canada.ca.

If you have any questions, contact the Pest Management Information Service.

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