Glyphosate Product: Safe Food Matters back in court
On January 22, 2025, Safe Food Matters will be in court again, fighting over glyphosate. Our original – still ongoing -lawsuit was about Health Canada’s decision to register glyphosate (“Registration Decision”), and this one is about the 5 year renewal of a product that contains the pesticide. Details on how to attend in person or watch are at the end of this piece.
This fight is about the product “Mad Dog Plus”, and the fact that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) routinely renews products, on a 5 year basis, without looking into new science on risks arising after major registration decisions.
In 2022 a coalition of groups, us included, provided the PMRA with a list of studies on glyphosate showing new risks, and it appears PMRA did not look into them – at least they couldn’t provide any evidence to show they did.
Mad Dog Plus is used on crops, forests, and …Read More
Preliminary Hearing on Oct 24 2023 over Glyphosate Product Renewal
On October 24, 2023, Safe Food Matters is n Federal Court with other groups in the first step of its “product renewal case” over a glyphosate product. We are seeking documents to show what science, if any, PMRA looked at in its renewal.
Key Scientist Resigns from PMRA’s Scientific Advisory Committee
“Bruce Lanphear” by SFU – Communications & Marketing is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Dr. Bruce P. Lanphear, MD, MPH, has resigned from the PMRA’s newly created Scientific Advisory Committee (the SAC).
The SAC was created by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) in 2022 as part of its Transformation Agenda, and was touted recently as acting in an “advisory role” to PMRA.
A link to Dr. Lanphear’s resignation letter is below.
Some key points he makes include:
Restrictive Scope
– The terms of reference were inadequate, and too restrictive – more restrictive than those of the Pest Management Advisory Council, which improperly allows industry representatives.
– He worries that the SAC was providing a false sense of security that PMRA is protecting Canadians.
Obselete Regulatory System
– PMRA is using old assumptions, like “all pesticides are necessary”. Some scientists disagree, and youth believe pesticides should be banned, used as a last resort, or used sparingly.
– PMRA prefers toxicology studies and …Read More
Safe Food Matters Goes Back to Court June 13 with Health Canada on Glyphosate
On June 13, 2023, Safe Food Matters returns to federal court in its ongoing battle with Health Canada over glyphosate, Canada’s most widely used herbicide.
This is the first step in our second lawsuit against Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for re-registering this harmful pesticide. We are seeking documents to show what’s really going on behind closed doors at the PMRA.
Why? Because something’s not right. In February, 2022, the Federal Court of Appeal ordered the PMRA to review our “Notice of Objection” for a second time – and the Court even provided “Guidance” to PMRA on how to address the issues. But PMRA did not follow the Guidance.
More than that, PMRA bent over backward to not address the concerns we raised. PMRA rewrote history. PMRA made up totally new legal tests. PMRA defied the rules of procedural fairness. It is clear PMRA does not want a review panel, even though the law allows for it.
So what’s going on?
We Are Making A Difference on Pesticides
We are Safe Food Matters Inc., and we’re making a difference on pesticides. Our highlights from 2022 include: winning on glyphosate in Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal; obtaining Monsanto confidential test data on glyphosate MRLs; becoming a charity; and suing Health Canada for rejecting public participation in pesticide decision-making.
We hope you’ll consider making a charitable donation to us, because we ARE making a difference. You can donate here.
Federal Court of Appeal: Glyphosate
In February, 2022, we won our case on glyphosate in Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal. The Court ordered Health Canada’s PMRA to look at our objections to the 2017 registration of glyphosate for a second time.
We think our win was a big deal, because the Court set out “Guidance” on how regulators like the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) need to behave when dealing with members of the public who get involved. When making decisions, PMRA needs to show …Read More
SAFE FOOD MATTERS SUES AGAIN ON GLYPHOSATE
November 2, 2022. Safe Food Matters Inc. has launched its second lawsuit against Health Canada over its 2017 re-registration of glyphosate. It claims Health Canada, through the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, acted unreasonably and unfairly when on September 29, 2022 it rejected the group’s objections for the second time.
Safe Food Matters initially sued PMRA in 2019, lost in federal court, then appealed. The appeal was successful and on February 2, 2022, the Federal Court of Appeal directed PMRA to reconsider the objections, and to follow the Guidance of the Court when doing so.
The Court issued the Guidance to avoid the ‘endless merry-go-round of judicial reviews and subsequent redeterminatons’. It aims to force PMRA to do its job and protect Canadians from the harms of pesticides.
Mary Lou McDonald, president of Safe Food Matters, commented:
This is EXACTLY what the Court of Appeal didn’t want – PMRA is making us get on the …Read More
Comments on Targeted Review of PCPA
Some types of Foods Affected by Pesticides, Gene-editing
This post provides the detailed comments submitted by Safe Food Matters to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) consultation on the “Targeted Review” of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).
Comments SFM on Dis Dic 2022-01vFinalDownload
By way of background, In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation was the result. Discussion Document 2022-01 set out 3 objectives, and asked for answers to questions on each. The list was set out in Annex 3.
We previously wrote about these objectives. The first objective on “Modernized Business Processes” asked questions on setting MRLs and “Continuous Oversight”, and we discussed it in this previous post. We discussed the second objective “Improved Transparency” here, and the third objective “Increased Use of Real-word Data and Independent Advice/Evidence” here.
PMRA also said it would take comments …Read More
Consultation on Targeted Review of Pesticides Act: Real-World Data and Independence
This post is about providing comments on the third objective of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) consultation on the “Targeted Review” of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation (set out in Discussion Document 2022-01) is the result. The extended deadline for comments is June 30, 2022.Below at the heading “Objective 3 – Increased Use of Real-word Data and Independent Advice/Evidence” are our comments on the third and last objective. Our thoughts on the first and second objectives were provided in previous posts.
Background: By way of background, Discussion Document 2022-01 sets out 3 objectives, and asks for answers to questions on each. The list is in Annex 3. The first objective on “Modernized Business Processes” asked questions on setting MRLs and “Continuous Oversight”, and we discussed it in this previous …Read More
Consultation on Targeted Review of Pesticides Act: MRLs and continous oversight
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is consulting with the public on the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation is the result. The deadline is June 30, 2022.
Discussion Document 2022-01 sets out 3 objectives, and asks for answers to questions on each. The list is in Annex 3.
Here are our thoughts on the first objective, “Modernized Business Processes” and related questions.
NOTE: This consultation is on a “Targeted Review” of the PCPA, but PMRA says it will also take comments on the full Act, since the full PCPA currently stands referred to Parliament for a broader legislative review. A main point here is the focus of reviews should be on the ENTIRE pest control product (PCP) including all ingredients, not just the “active” ingredient, because we are exposed to the entire …Read More
Consultation on Targeted Review of Pesticides Act: Improved Transparency
This post is about providing comments on the second objective of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) consultation on the “Targeted Review” of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation (set out in Discussion Document 2022-01) is the result. The extended deadline for comments is June 30, 2022.Below at the heading “Objective 2 – Improved Transparency” are our comments on the second objective. Our thoughts on the third and last objective, “Increased Use of Real-word Data and Independent Advice/Evidence” are forthcoming.
Background: By way of background, Discussion Document 2022-01 sets out 3 objectives, and asks for answers to questions on each. The list is in Annex 3. The first objective, “Modernized Business Processes”, which had questions on setting MRLs and “Continuous Oversight”, was discussed in our previous post.
Although …Read More
