The University of Guelph, in promoting its pesticide course for corn and soybean growers, says “regulatory changes proposed last year to reduce complexity and regulatory burden have been implemented.”
Farmers are still required to be certified by successfully completing the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) course for corn and soybeans, but now, this certification only needs to be completed once.
“If you have previously been certified your certification no longer expires every five years and will continue to be valid,” the university said.
The Pest Assessment Report (PAR) or a new Pest Risk Assessment Report (PRAR), only needs to be completed once per farm property; it does not need to be repeated yearly.
Those with a pest assessment report that was prepared and signed under O. Reg. 63/09 prior to April 10, 2020, may continue to use it to purchase and use Class 12 pesticides.
Treated Seed Vendor no longer is required to obtain copies of the PAR/PRARs, Written Declarations and certificate numbers from IPM certified farmers nor to complete sales records and amounts for each Class 12 pesticide sold. Vendors only need to request to view these documents to complete their sales records.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks will no longer post a list of Class 12 pesticides.
The IPM Course for Corn and Soybeans has been offered since 2015 and about 12,000 people have been certified through the program.
Any person who has not previously completed the course and requires Class 12 pesticides may complete the requirements by signing up for an online course.
To sign up for an IPM Course for Corn and Soybeans, people can go online at www.IPMcertified.ca or call 1-866-225-9020.
