Should Dicamba Herbicide Use Be Restricted to Protect Nearby Plants?

Official title: Consultation on dicamba and its associated end-use products, Proposed Special Review Decision PSRD2025-01

Closed Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Environment & Climate Health & Safety
Health Canada wants to tighten rules on dicamba, a weed killer that drifts to nearby fields and damages crops it wasn't meant to touch. The proposed changes would ban some uses on soybeans, expand buffer zones, and add temperature restrictions. Why? Over the past decade, 101 incidents of plant damage have been reported—89% linked to just five products used on dicamba-tolerant crops.

Why This Matters

Live near a farm? This herbicide can drift onto your garden or nearby crops. Farmers growing non-resistant crops have seen their plants damaged by dicamba floating over from neighbouring fields. If you grow vegetables, fruit trees, or ornamental plants near agricultural land, these rules could affect what ends up on your property.

What Could Change

Post-emergence spraying on dicamba-tolerant soybeans would be banned—farmers could only spray before the crop emerges. Buffer zones would expand up to 800 metres for aerial spraying. A new guideline would discourage spraying above 25°C to reduce drift. Seed production for dicamba-tolerant soybeans would also be prohibited.

Key Issues

  • Should post-emergence dicamba applications on tolerant soybeans be banned?
  • Are the proposed buffer zones (up to 800m for aerial spraying) adequate to protect nearby plants?
  • Will temperature restrictions (avoiding spraying above 25°C) effectively reduce volatilization?
  • Should dicamba use during tolerant soybean seed production be cancelled?

How to Participate

  1. Review the summary of the proposed decision to understand the scientific rationale and proposed changes.
  2. Submit your comments to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency Publications Section. Include the document title "PSRD2025-01" in your submission.

Key Documents