So there ain’t no GRASs in Canada????

I can’t believe all these rumors I hear about the availability of GRASs in Canada, but none exists?

Was I lied to when moving here 12 years ago???

But….

By GRAS I mean the connotation given to products as Generally Regarded as Safe.

So if you live down in the States there’s a well known means of bringing products to market under the GRAS component of the EPA’s 25(b) ruling. This allows safer products with some type of insecticidal activity to be registered, produced, and brought to market without spending the inordinate amount of dollars usually for a synthetic chemistry product.

What type of products?

Oils and essences of various plant life, thyme, citrus, tree oils….

Garlic and fatty acids…

Soybean protein extracts…

Food grade additives…

So if a product is deemed as Generally Regarded as Safe, why are there so many barriers to entry into Canada.

Isn’t it just simple logic that if a product made with a soybean protein extract has any control on bed bugs it should be made available and registered by the PMRA?

Seems to me if I can use a safe product and replace even 1 application of an organophosphate or pyrethroid it’s a no brainer.

If I can spray thyme oil 4 times and do the same thing as an application of malathion…doesn’t this seem like a good idea?

And these products are deemed safe to use by the 330,000,000 US citizens and 18,000 pest control techs, but not in Canada…

Okay, sure they don’t work as well when it comes to both residual and efficacy, but if they get any response it beats using the same pesticides over and over again.

If Canada was taking the lead on the use of pesticides and protection of both applicator and persons that may be exposed, we should have 10 of these on the market by now.

But there should be a fast track system in place, at minimal cost and time, to bring some of these products to market.

How many do we have now????

Zip

They do need some regulations and oversight or we will have a plethora of snake oil hitting the consumer. I would be the first to agree on that.

But if I can get 40% control of an insect using a soybean product?

No brainer