Should Pesticide Companies Get Fewer Chances to Fix Incomplete Applications?

Official title: Consultation on the revised procedure for Category A, B, and L application data deficiencies in science review, Notice of Intent NOI2024-01

Closed Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Health Canada wants to limit how many times pesticide companies can resubmit incomplete applications. Right now, companies can keep fixing data gaps indefinitely. The new rule would cap it at two tries. This is about paperwork efficiency, not changing how pesticides are actually evaluated for safety.

Why This Matters

This one's pretty niche. If you work in the pesticide industry or care deeply about how Health Canada processes applications, it matters. For most Canadians, this is behind-the-scenes paperwork that won't change what pesticides end up on store shelves or how they're tested.

What Could Change

The Management of Submissions Policy would be revised to add a two-strike rule. Companies with incomplete applications would get two chances to fix data gaps. After that, their application could be rejected. Health Canada expects this will speed up decision-making.

Key Issues

  • Should pesticide applicants be limited to two opportunities to fix data deficiencies?
  • Will this change improve decision-making time without affecting scientific review quality?

How to Participate

  1. Read the Notice of Intent NOI2024-01 to understand the proposed changes.
  2. Submit written comments to the PMRA's Publications Section, including your full name, organization, phone number, and mailing address or email.

What Happened

The consultation has closed. Health Canada indicated that results will be made available on the website and the Policy and Guidelines page will be updated with the revised Management of Submissions Policy.