"Vertical horticulture is experiencing a major shift in Canadian cannabis cultivation. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is enforcing regulations restricting the use of pesticides unless explicitly approved for vertical farming," explains Dmytro Guzhva, General Manager of Katch Kan Agro. The regulations were announced a couple of years ago when Dmytro was a Master Grower. Having to deal with the situation first-hand, he developed an IPM system that offers effective and compliant crop protection for vertical farmers. Now that he works at Katch Kan Agro, the company offers the solution to growers.
But that is not all that Canadian growers have had to deal with this year. Since January 1st of this year, the Protected Agriculture Stewardship Standards have been put in place, meaning that protected closed-loop operators need to now be certified to use pest control products.
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No more pesticides
Dmytro explains the two regulation changes. First of all, PMRA has advised growers that there are no pest control products currently registered or authorized for use in vertical farming in Canada. The strict regulations are put in place because there is not yet sufficient data to assess the risks associated with vertical farming, according to the Health Canada website. "Until such data is submitted and assessed, and vertical farming production use is included on a pesticide label, the use of pest control products in vertical farming is not permitted," the website says.
Health Canada describes vertical farming as crops grown:
- in appropriate media, for instance hydroponically, aeroponically, or in soil; and
- indoors on vertically stacked or inclined layers and/or integrated in other vertical structures, and
- relies solely or largely on artificial lighting.
Dmytro explains, however, that this is a tricky distinction to make. "As soon as two shelves are above each other, it somehow invalidates pesticides." Vertical farmers now have to deal with the consequences, having to protect their crops differently while staying compliant. Luckily, the consultants at Katch Kan Agro can help. "We can provide a tailored IPM program that relies on biologicals and is near-organic."
Certification required
Another pesticide regulation change happened this year in Canada. Together with national and provincial grower groups, CropLife Canada and its members set up the program Protected Agriculture Stewardship Standards, managed by the Agrichemical Warehousing Standards Association (AWSA). The initiative is currently in Phase 1, which means that any protected agriculture operator, using closed-loop systems, wishing to purchase pesticides labeled for greenhouse use needs to be certified. "Those growers need to complete an audit to achieve certification. Since AWSA is now the only organization allowed to perform the audits, that brings along additional costs to growers." AWSA operates with independent contractors, as auditors, so growers discuss pricing with them directly.
"Also, for the first time, pesticide regulation is linked to irrigation. Your category as an operator is divided into open and closed-loop operators." Now that Canadian growers of all crops have to deal with this new requirement, Katch Kan Agro offers consulting to help them through it. "There are 4 mandatory protocols required for certification. Completion of the remaining 19 industry best practices can be completed on a voluntary basis, leading to a "Certificate of Excellence". We can help growers to implement," Dmytro says.
Presentation
Interested in learning more about how to remain compliant and protect your crops in this changing landscape? On Monday September 30th, Dmytro will discuss the topic at the Grow Up Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. The presentation 'IPM in Vertical Horticulture: Navigating Pest Management Regulations' will take place at 11:00 AM in the Riverview Room.
For more information:
Katch Kan Agro
8210 McIntyre Road, Edmonton, AB, Canada
+1 825 203 9563
[email protected]
katchkanagro.com