Pesticide Sales

In order to reduce the risk of exposure of the population to pesticides and to reduce the risk of environmental contamination, pesticide sellers must comply with certain requirements. These requirements cover the sale and storage of pesticides that are intended for sale.

Your company must hold one or more of the following permits in order to sell or offer to sell pesticides:

• Class A wholesale permit;
• Class B retail sales permit:
  • Subclass B1 for use by professionals;
  • Subclass B2 for use by individuals.

As a vendor, you must ensure that you hold a certificate that corresponds to the type of your sales activity, or are supervised by a holder of the required certificate. Read the following webpages: Permits for the sale and use of pesticides (in French only) or Certificates for the sale and use of pesticides for more information.

If you hold a sales permit, make sure to:

• sell or offer to sell pesticides through the holder of a certificate corresponding to the activity associated with your permit or someone that is supervised by the holder;
• retain, for five years, the agronomic prescription provided by the client at the time of purchase of a covered pesticide (in French only);
• maintain and keep a register of pesticide purchases and sales. Based on your permit, you may use this  mandatory pesticides purchase and sales template for holders of Class A permits (XLSX 58 Kb) (In French only), or the pesticide purchase register required for Subclass B1 permit holders (XLSX 49 Kb) (In French only) et le formulaire de declaration des ventes de pesticides des classes 1 à 3B (XLSX 62 Kb) (in French only);
• annually declare required information from the register if you hold a Class A or Subclass B1 permit.

To equip sales advisors regarding the application of regulatory requirements and encourage them to raise awareness among agricultural users about the risks associated with pesticide use, download the document Avec les pesticides, c’est la sécurité avant tout! (PDF 564 Kb) (French).

Sales conditions applicable to certain pesticides

You are prohibited from selling or offering the following for sale:

• a pesticide to a client who does not present the required documents at the time of purchase, such as a permit or agronomic prescription;
• a domestic pesticide packaged with more than one pesticide container, with some exceptions;
• any pesticide mixed with or including a fertilizer.

You cannot sell or offer for retail sale the highest-risk pesticides intended for:

• the maintenance of green spaces or indoor plants;
• application inside homes for pest management purposes.

Check the brand names of prohibited pesticides in urban areas.

Pesticides offered for sale must be kept out of reach of clients, with the following exceptions:

• Class 3A or Class 3B pesticides, namely pesticide-coated seeds;
• Class 4 pesticides for use as a wood preservative or antifouling paint;
• Class 5 pesticides;
• Animal repellents in the form of liquids pressurized sprays composed of capsaicin or a capsaicinoid.

Pesticide classification information can be found in the Classification of pesticides in Québec decision tree (PDF 336 Kb).

Liability insurance

You will need a liability insurance policy covering adverse effects on the environment for Classes 1 to 4 unmixed or undiluted pesticide storage locations with capacity in excess of 10,000 litres or 10,000 kilograms. The policy must include a rider specifying that the regional office of the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs is to receive 48-hour notice following the revocation, termination, cancellation or change in coverage of the policy.

As applicable you are required to fill out the liability policy attestation (in French only) for adverse effects on the environment and attach it to your initial permit application or at the time of permit renewal.

Retention equipment

Retention equipment may include a leak-proof floor, platform or basin designed to confine pesticide leaks and spills and fully recover them.

If you hold a Class A wholesale permit or a Subclass B1 retail sales permit, retention equipment is mandatory for:

• loading and unloading Class 1, 2 or 3 pesticides in a storage facility;
• storing Class 1, 2 or 3 unmixed and undiluted pesticides;
• storing in excess of 100 litres or 100 kilograms of unmixed and undiluted classes 1 to 3 pesticides for more than 15 consecutive days.

Tanks and mobile cisterns

Tanks and cisterns have a capacity of at least 1,000 litres and are used to store classes 1 to 4 liquid pesticides. Tanks are not mobile, while cisterns can be attached to trucks, trailers or semis and are therefore mobile. They are often used by distributors of pesticides.

If you use this equipment, make sure to:

• keep it sealed and equipped with a safety mechanism that prevents their use when not loading or unloading;
• they must not bury a pesticide tank underground;
• load, unload and hold within a retention area pesticide tanks or cisterns containing unmixed or undiluted pesticides that is capable of containing at least 110% of the capacity of the biggest tank or cistern. Tanks must be protected from vehicular shocks by bumpers;
• immediately remove accumulated pesticide spillage or rainwater from retention equipment after a spill or when rain stops.

Distancing from sensitive locations, including floodplains

Make sure to:

• comply with appropriate distancing directives for sensitive environments (PDF 259 Kb);
• store Class 1 to 3 pesticides in a high-velocity flood zone (0-20‑years);
• store Class 1 to 3 pesticides in a low-velocity flood zone (20-100 years) except when storing:
  • less than 100 litres or 100 kilograms;
  • 100 litres or 100 kilograms or more for less than 15 consecutive days;
  • above the water line reached by a 100-year flood event.