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New Soy and Corn Protection Products Available in 2025 Meet Market Access Requirements

January 30, 2025, Ottawa, ON – Following a rigorous review of export market requirements and residue potential when used according to the label, the joint Market Access Committee for corn and soybeans has concluded that the risk of any crop protection product residue-related trade disruption is acceptable for three new corn products available in 2025. With 70 per cent of Ontario soybeans exported along with a significant amount of corn, maintaining market access, and preventing risk is important to get the most value for Ontario grown corn and soybeans.

The Market Access Committee for corn and soybeans is co-chaired by Grain Farmers of Ontario and Soy Canada and works to prevent market access issues by meeting requirements for pesticide residues and to facilitate predictable commercialization of crop protection products. The Ontario Agri Business Association is a standing member of the Committee and a partner in bringing together the Ontario grain value chain to achieve the Committee’s goals.

This forum allows for the value chain, which includes the crop protection registrants, producer organizations, ag-retailers, grain originators, processors, and exporters to evaluate the residue profile of new pesticides and discuss potential trade implications prior to market launch

The approach used by the Committee follows the “Market Acceptance of Pesticide Use Policy” developed by the grain value chain under the auspices of the Canada Grains Council and adopted by other commodity associations in Canada. More information on this policy and evaluation framework is available here.

In brief, the Maximum Residues Limits (MRLs) of crop protection products are evaluated by the Committee against requirements in key export markets – a MRL is the maximum amount of a crop protection product permitted in grain and is determined by the importing country. Product use information such as application rates, timing of application, and relevant residue data are considered as part of the assessment, along with risk management strategies as necessary.

For corn, three products (including one new active ingredient, diflufenican) slated for market launch in 2025 were assessed. The active ingredients for these products and the resulting Pest Control Product (PCP) numbers assigned by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) are provided in Table 1. For soybeans, no new products are scheduled to be launched.

Table 1: Products registered for use on corn evaluated by the Market Assessment Committee

Based on the MRL profile of the active ingredients reviewed, the Committee concluded that the risk of any MRL-related trade disruption was acceptable. No advisories to limit the use of these products were deemed to be necessary at this time.

This assessment marked the fourth formal evaluation of the Joint Market Assessment Committee for Corn and Soybeans. Future assessments will be conducted following this process (or amended, as needed) on an annual basis, or as required.

For more information, please contact:

Victoria Berry
Director, Communications
Grain Farmers of Ontario
vberry@gfo.ca
226-820-6641

Brian Innes
Executive Director
Soy Canada
binnes@soycanada.ca
(613) 617-8483