Biosolids Utilization Committee
The Biosolids Utilization Committee is an advisory body to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) on technical and scientific areas of biosolids policy and provides a forum for stakeholders to exchange information on agricultural and non-agricultural beneficial-use programs.
The committee is made up of representatives from MOE, OMAFRA and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as well as a number of stakeholders with knowledge of and interest in recycling municipal, commercial and industrial by-product materials for use in agriculture or other remedial land-based purposes.
A health and safety sub-committee determines how complaints are handled and how to improve the process. Technical reviews of submissions regarding the beneficial use of municipal, commercial and industrial by-products in agricultural and non-agricultural land use activities are carried out by the technical review sub-committee, which provides findings, comments and/or recommendations to the Biosolids Utilization Committee.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
All fertilizers or supplements sold in or imported into Canada are regulated under the federal Fertilizers Act administered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
The Fertilizers Act stipulates that all regulated products must be safe with respect to human, plant and animal health, and the environment, effective for their intended purpose and properly labelled to avoid misrepresentation in the marketplace and fraud.
Compliance and enforcement efforts under the Fertilizer Act are carried out by officers from the CFIA and the Canadian Border Services Agency. Compliance efforts are focused on verifying that products meet label guarantees and satisfy the safety standards for biological and chemical contaminants (pathogens, heavy metals, pesticide residues, etc.). Producers found to be non-compliant are subject to regulatory action, which may include product detention (stop sale) and, in severe cases, prosecution.
Ontario regulates the agricultural use of fertilizers and supplements under the Nutrient Management Act. They must be applied according to the requirements stipulated for commercial fertilizer under the General Nutrient Management Regulation 267/03. Materials generated off-farm that are not sold as a fertilizer or supplement and that do not meet the requirements of the federal Fertilizer Act must be managed as a non-agricultural source material when applied on agricultural land as a nutrient.
