Label Process Series LPS2011-01, Pesticide Labelling Framework

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
21 June 2011
ISSN: 1925-3273 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-20/2011-1E-PDF (PDF version)

Table of Contents

• Background
• Objectives
• Scope
• Regulatory Context
• Policy Statement
• Labelling Activities
• Effective Date

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to industry and other interested parties on the development of pest control product labels for the Canadian marketplace. It describes how the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) will work with industry to ensure pest control product labels are clearly presented and understandable, and how the impact of making label changes on both registrants and government can be minimized.

Background

A pesticide label is a legal document that serves the important role of informing users of a product's proper use and its potential hazards. As such, the label information must be clearly written and presented to help users comply with the instructions and minimize the risks associated with the product's use.

This labelling framework of the PMRA supports the continuous improvement of product labelling and minimization of the risks associated with pesticide use.

Objectives

The objectives of this pesticide labelling framework are to ensure that information on labels of all classes of pest control products in Canada is clearly presented and understandable, and to minimize the impact of making label changes on registrants and the government.

Scope

This framework applies to the review of all pest control product labels:

• during registration;
• during re-evaluation; and
• when product amendments are made.

Regulatory Context

Sections 22 to 33 of the Pest Control Products Regulations describe the requirements for presenting information on pesticide labels, and the PMRA has published specific requirements in the form of Registration Decisions (RD and RDD series), Re-evaluation Decisions (RVD and RRD series) and Regulatory Notes (REG series). Information for preparing labels is also provided on the PMRA website in the form of Directives, a bilingual labelling lexicon, and a Checklist of Labelling Requirements.

Section 23 of the Pest Control Products Regulations requires information on pesticide labels to be presented in a manner that is clearly legible and indelible, and in such a way that graphic designs and symbols do not detract from or obscure the required information. There are no regulations that specifically define criteria for legibility, design or comprehensibility of information presented on pesticide labels.

Policy Statement

Information presented on all pesticide labels will meet the requirements of the Pest Control Products Regulations in order to protect the health and environment of Canadians, and be clearly legible and understandable in both official languages.

Labelling Activities

To achieve its labelling objectives, the PMRA will:

• consult with Canadians when developing labelling directives and guidelines;
• develop guidance for registrants to promote label readability and comprehension by users;
• coordinate the implementation phases of any broad label amendments;
• make all label text available and searchable on its website;
• provide consistent advice on labelling requirements;
• work with registrants to ensure their proposed label amendments satisfy the provisions of the Pest Control Products Act and Regulations, the Agency's pesticide labelling framework, and associated labelling guidelines; and
• pursue international regulatory collaboration, which includes
  • learning from international best practices, and
  • considering any new information pertaining to labelling and packaging.

Industry will:

• use product-specific PMRA-prescribed and/or approved text for labels;
• consult PMRA directives and guidance documents when drafting labels; and
• draft labels based on final decisions (Registration Decisions and Re-evaluation Decisions) as opposed to consultation documents open for public comment such as Proposed Registration Decisions and Proposed Re-evaluation Decisions.

Effective Date

With respect to the review of pesticide labelling, this framework is effective upon its date of publication and will be implemented as directives and guidance on the preparation of labels are published.