Garlic Products as Area Mosquito Repellents for Residential or Commercial Use

31 August 2010

In 2006, Health Canada advised applicants that the use of garlic-based products as area mosquito repellents for residential or commercial uses would not require registration, pending finalization of a policy on non-conventional products.

Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has now developed a framework for the review of non-conventional products. As a result, registration of all garlic-based products for use as area mosquito repellents for residential or commercial use is now required under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Previous applicants have been notified of this decision.

As with applications for conventional pest control products, applications for non-conventional products must respect the provisions of the Pest Control Products Act and Regulations. Sufficient information to enable the evaluation of health and environmental risks and value of the product must be included in the application.

Due to Health Canada's recent evaluation of garlic-based products a non-complex process for the review of these types of applications has been developed. With this experience, the Department anticipates being able to complete the review of complete applications within 30 days of receipt. A pre-submission consultation is strongly encouraged, as insufficient information will result in delays.

The PMRA does not require any further data for health or environmental assessment; however, some additional data including a proposed use pattern, label and spec form will be required.

For those currently marketing garlic products not yet registered in Canada, the PMRA expects applications for registration to be submitted by December 31, 2011. This timeline should provide enough opportunity to gather the necessary information for registration.

If you have any questions, please contact the Pest Management Information Service at 1-800-267-6315.