Alliette re-evaluation

Alliette (fosetyl-aluminum) has recently undergone re-evaluation by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.  Alliette is a systemic fungicide used manage a wide variety of diseases in various crops.  In vegetable production, it is used to control downy mildew in onions, lettuce, spinach, rutabaga, and many Brassicas, as well as white rust in spinach, purple blotch in onions, and damping-off in some greenhouse transplants.

There are a few new measures that have been proposed that may be relevant to Nova Scotia vegetable production.  Always follow the label.  Labels for all pesticides registered in Canada can be found here.

To protect workers entering treated sites, the following measures are proposed:

• Increase REIs for Brassica leafy vegetables (currently 12 hours), onions (currently 12 hours), spinach (currently 12 hours), as well as apples, blackberries, highbush blueberries, red/black raspberries, grapes, and ornamental plants.
• Establish a minimum 12-hour REI for other crops where appropriate.

To protect mixers, loaders and applicators, the following measures are proposed:

• Prohibit the use of fogging equipment (handheld or automated) or handheld mistblowers.
• Wear a chemical-resistant hat for airblast applications.

To read the full decision, please click here. There is a 90-day public consultation period if you wish to make your voice heard. 

Re-evaluation of Glyphosate

Pesticides must go through rigorous science-based assessments before being approved for sale in Canada, and undergo a cyclical re-evaluation to ensure they continue to meet modern health and environment safety standards.  During this re-examination, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) assessed the potential human health risk of glyphosate from drinking water, food, occupational and bystander exposure, as well as the environmental risk to non-target organisms.  Both the active ingredient and formulated products were included in the re-evaluation, and were found to pose minimum risk to health and the environment.  For a detailing of the re-evaluation, please see: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-spc/pubs/pest/_decisions/rvd2017-01/index-eng.php

Some further measures to minimize risk have been added; expect to see these changes appearing on product labels in the near future.

Human Health

• To protect commercial and residential applicators: glyphosate is not to be applied using hand-wicking or hand-daubing methods.
• To protect workers entering treated sites: a restricted-entry interval (REI) of 12 hours is required for agricultural uses.
• To protect bystanders: a statement is required indicating that the product is to be applied only when the potential for drift to areas of human habitation or areas of human activity, such as houses, cottages, schools and recreational areas, is minimal.

Environment

• Environmental hazard statements are added to inform users of toxicity to non-target species.
• Spray buffer zones to protect non-target terrestrial and aquatic habitats are required.
• To reduce the potential for runoff of glyphosate to adjacent aquatic habitats, precautionary statements for sites with characteristics that may be conducive to runoff and when heavy rain is forecasted are required. In addition, a vegetative strip between the treatment area and the edge of a water body is recommended to reduce runoff of glyphosate to aquatic areas.