b'process and so that decisions are clearly understood. Were not only examining the distance or the width Over the years weve had many conversations withof the vegetation between the high-water mark and where stakeholders around the Pest Control Products Act andthe crop is sprayed; were also looking at percentage of whether it is fit for purpose. Does it really do what it wasground cover. What are the dominant species of grasses, originally designed to do? Noad says. sedges and rushes? Are there any willows and poplars It was those same consultations that identified theand so forth? We want to better understand any pesticide need for a national pesticide water monitoring programdrift or pesticide migration into wetlands, he adds.and a framework to collect pesticide use information toThe study will help PMRA narrow down exactly how better inform decision-making and facilitate a process ofpesticides are being used and their real-world presence in continuous oversight of pesticides. runoff, if any.In the past, if you were to go out and do a grab The Power of Wetlands sample of a stream and submit that data to the PMRA, The water monitoring study spearheaded by Rosaasenbecause they dont know what the proven pesticide use is is unique in that its not monitoring major waterwayson the fields adjacent to it, they cant rule out that theres like lakes, rivers or streams. In larger bodies of water,no risk to ecological health, Rosaasen adds. pesticide residues get diluted to the point of becomingWhat weve done is weve built basically a priority extremely hard to measure, not only due to dilution butlist of pesticides being used here in Alberta based on use because things like UV light from the sun have usuallypatterns, but also based on upcoming re-evaluations.broken them down.Thats why its key to look at wetlands, which areBigger Picturethe first recipients of pesticide drift from adjacent fields,Those re-evaluations could determine what pesticide Rosaasen says. products can continue to be allowed to be used in Wetlands are what we hypothesize as worst-case sce- Canada, and according to Bartley, its crucial those deci-nario situations, where you have farmers applying pesti- sions be based on real-world data.cides adjacent to those very wetlands, Rosaasen says.Bartley closely follows whats happening in the But the study goes even further and also looks at veg- European Union with regard to its hazard-based approach etative filter strips that separate farmers fields from thoseto some of its passive pest control product reviews, where wetlands.a products registration is automatically cancelled if it is determined to meet certain hazard criteria. Skiold Damas Cleaning MachinesWhat wed like to do is avoid such a scenario in Canada and ensure PMRA decisions remain based on risk. That said, timely risk-based decision making that results in predictable outcomes for pesticide reviews in Canada TheDAMASOMEGAisaflexibleandefficient cleaning/grading machine which can be used for ahas to be reflective of the use pattern in Canada, and the wide variety of cereals and seeds, from light toactual risks the product poses, he says. heavy seeds all the way from pre-cleaning to fineWe dont want to rely on data that results in over-cleaning. The DAMAS OMEGA is capable of handling up to 300 tons per hour when cleaning cerealsandconservative estimates of potential risk, and then results OMEGAup to 30 tons per hour when grading seeds. in the removal of pesticides from the market due to those over-conservative risk estimates.Currently, Health Canada works with its international The DAMAS VIBAM is a universal cleaning machinecounterparts to undertake joint scientific reviews of appli-designed to clean a wide variety of grains and seeds quickly and precisely. VIBAM offers competitive valuecations and leverages the regulatory effort of other juris-combined with high capacity and easy operation.dictions as much as possible under its current processes.VIBAMAs part of its review, Health Canada is seeking to apply proportionality between the regulatory effort The DAMAS HOTYPis a highly efficient separationexpended on a given pesticide and the risks it poses so machine designed to sort grains or seeds by length.that more resources can be allocated to higher risk pesti-Due to the unique geometry of the indentations in thecides. This could have an overall positive effect on pesti-screens, you can rely on HOTYP to deliver extremely precise length separation which will help you maximizecide manufacturers and people who use those products, HOTYPthe amount of broken seeds removed from your crop. PMRA says on its website.While strict environmental and health protections will remain in place, PMRA says this would create less burden associated with bringing these products to the market. For www.canseedequip.comusers including growers, this approach should promote 800-644-8397access to important pesticides recognized as posing lower sales@canseedequip.comrisks to human health and the environment. 8GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2022'