Should Fatty Acid Pesticides Stay on the Market?

Official title: Consultation on fatty acid cluster and its associated end-use products, Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2025-05

Closed Regulations & Permits Agriculture & Food Health & Safety
Health Canada reviewed fatty acid-based pesticides used in gardens, greenhouses, and farms. These products kill insects and weeds on everything from backyard tomatoes to commercial cannabis. The verdict? They're safe to keep selling, but labels need updating.

Why This Matters

Use insecticidal soap on your houseplants or garden? This decision affects those products. Fatty acid pesticides are common in organic gardening because they're considered low-risk. If you buy pest control products at a garden centre, this review determines what stays on the shelves.

What Could Change

These pesticides will stay registered for sale in Canada. Product labels will be updated to meet current standards. No products are being pulled from the market.

Key Issues

  • Should fatty acid pesticides continue to be registered for sale in Canada?
  • Are the proposed label updates appropriate?

How to Participate

  1. Read the Proposed Re-evaluation Decision to understand the science behind this decision.

What Happened

The consultation period has closed. Health Canada will consider all comments received and publish a final Re-evaluation Decision on the Pesticides and Pest Management Reports and Publications page.

Key Documents