Ottawa — A new private member’s bill seeks to speed up approvals for products like fertilizer and seeds.
David Bexte, Conservative MP for Bow River, Alta., introduced Bill C-273, the Facilitating Agricultural Regulatory Modernization Act.
If enacted, it would allow provisional approval within 90 days of feeds, seeds, fertilizers and pest control products if they are already approved in at least two trusted jurisdictions.
“Farmers in Canada are currently stuck waiting years to access products that are already proven safe and widely used around the world in countries like the E.U., the U.K., the United States, Australia (and) New Zealand,” Bexte said to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Federal regulators have faced criticism for the lengthy approval process for new products like pesticides.
“In some cases, these products never come to Canada,” he said. “The consequences hit hard: higher costs for producers, fewer tools to fight pests, diseases, lower yields, lower productivity.”
“This is the reality I want to fix in Ottawa.”
Bexte said Canada’s science-based review system will stay in place and full reviews may continue in parallel. The proposed approvals will be time-limited and conditional.
“This is about cutting unnecessary duplication,” he said,” not lowering standards.
The bill would also “speed up access to veterinary drugs by recognizing trusted international regulators.”
Bexte said the measures would ease costs and regulatory burdens without compromising health.
“This bill is about standing up for farmers, standing up for Canadians who are tired of paying more for less.”
In a Wednesday written statement, Fertilizer Canada president and CEO Michael Bourque called the bill “a practical step toward modernizing Canada’s regulatory framework and ensuring farmers have the tools they need to grow healthy, hearty crops.”
