As of June 26, 2024, The Pest Control Act has been repealed and replaced with The Plant Health Act. In addition to this new act, to simplify and streamline the regulatory framework The Plant Health Regulations will replace The Pest Declaration Regulations, The Bacterial Ring Rot Control Regulations, and The Late Blight Control Regulations, with a consolidation into one set of regulations.
This new act modernizes current legislation and establishes standardized measures to control declared pests in the province. Under The Plant Health Regulations, the following pests will no longer be regulated and are not considered declared pests:
- Clubroot
- Richardson’s ground squirrels
- Grasshoppers
- Warble fly
The following pests will be regulated and are considered a declared pest in the province:
- Brown or Norway rat
- Feral pigs
- Bacterial ring rot
- Late blight
- Potato wart (new)
Implications for producers if a pest is deregulated
As a producer in Saskatchewan, if a pest is deregulated under The Plant Health Act, it means that the regulatory measures to control a pest have been lifted, including specific methods and reporting obligations.
Producers have more autonomy to choose how to manage the pest, adopting approaches that are more suitable for their specific farming practices. Even though a pest is deregulated, it is essential to remain vigilant about its presence and potential threats. Proactively monitoring for and managing pests is still necessary to protect your farm’s productivity and profitability.
The Ministry of Agriculture will continue supporting producers and industry in managing clubroot, Richardson’s ground squirrels, and grasshoppers through surveillance and development of forecast maps, programming and extension materials and presentations.
The Ministry of Agriculture remains fully committed to research and other initiatives to prevent and reduce the impact of clubroot in Saskatchewan, including pest surveillance, integrated clubroot management practices, extension, research and programming.
Implications for producers if a pest is regulated
As a producer in Saskatchewan, if a pest is regulated under The Plant Health Act, it means that the regulatory measures to control a pest are in place, including specific control methods and reporting obligations.
Producers must take measures to control and prevent the spread of a pest on any land they own or occupy. The ministry is developing pest-specific management plans to guide producers and will share them shortly. Producers also must report the presence of a pest within five business days of detection to their municipality or the pest control officer for the municipality.
Authorities of Municipalities
Under The Plant Health Act, va municipality will continue to have the authority to control regulated pests.
Municipalities may appoint a pest control officer under The Plant Health Act to enforce the Act and regulations within the municipality. Under The Plant Health Act, the municipality council no longer needs to make the appointment of a pest control officer and the appointment can now be made as an administrative function of the municipality, the same as under The Weed Control Act.
Pest control officers maintain their authority to access land and conduct enforcement on behalf of the municipality for matters relating to regulated pests.
The new regulation provides consistent agreement and order templates to facilitate municipalities and their pest control officers to conduct enforcement if required.
For more information, contact us at crops@gov.sk.ca or call 306-787-4660.