PMRA Inaction Frustrates Farmers

SASKATOON, SK, Dec. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - A full three years after Farmers of North America (FNA) and Canadian generic pesticide companies identified serious problems in the Protection of Proprietary Interests in Pesticides (PPIP) regulation, the PMRA appears to be no closer to finding solutions.

"It makes no sense," says Darren Palendat, Crop Protection Manager with AgraCity Crop & Nutrition, one of FNA's supplier partners. "PMRA actually conceded that the problems existed, yet nothing has been done to remove them."

FNA continues to point at the massive price differential between pesticide products in Canada and the U.S. In Canada, the timeline to get a generic in the market—if the compensable data is affordable—is at least 24 months. In some cases, because of regulatory contradictions and the way the regulation is being managed by the PMRA, companies are simply throwing up their hands in frustration and walking away from the process. An FNA input supply partner has had an application in the process for four years and is still not completed. PMRA cites policy issues as the reason for the delay. In the U.S., after about six months of equivalency work by the EPA, the generic product is registered and in the market.

FNA Members support the ten year exclusive period given to basic registrants after an innovative product is registered. They also believe that the original registrants deserve to be fairly paid for relevant and legitimate data.

"What has happened, however," says Palendat, "is that the PMRA handed basic registrants the tools to control the process. These are the very companies that will do almost anything to keep a generic product out of the market."

Despite hundreds of letters, the PMRA continues to ignore farmers' pleas to fix the problem. All they're asking for is due diligence from the PMRA, so they can have access to lower cost options similar to their U.S. counterparts and move on with improving their cost competitiveness.  FNA is urging farmers to continue to let the PMRA and their own Member of Parliament know that these changes need to be made.

FNA Members should further call on Health Minister Rona Ambrose to instruct the PMRA to urgently eliminate the impediments preventing farmers from having access to a similar array of lower cost generic crop protection products enjoyed by U.S. farmers.

Farmers of North America is a member based farm business alliance
with the single mission of "Maximizing Farm Profitability." www.fna.ca

SOURCE: Farmers of North America

Bob Friesen
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