What is the GROU Program?
The GROU (Grower Requested Own Use) program is a government program that allows growers to import the U.S. version of Canadian-registered crop protection products for their own use.
The Nomination Process
1. Members of the nomination committee solicit their members and others in the agriculture sector for potential GROU products;
2. The nomination committee does an initial assessment of which of these products are eligible;
3. The nomination committee then decides which products will be sent to PMRA for official assessment and, if eligible, nomination.
A total of 15 products can be placed on the GROU list per year, including renewals of products expiring from the list (each product remains on the list for 2 years unless renewed)
What makes a product ineligible for GROU?
- The data exclusive period has not ended. New products have an exclusive use period for 10-12 years.
- Restricted use products are not eligible for GROU.
- No matching product in the U.S. The company that sells the product in Canada must be the same as the company in the U.S.
- Not materially identical to U.S. version. The product must give the same active ingredient % as the U.S. version.
Calls for nominations
The nomination committee puts out a call for nominations every September. If there is a product you would like to see on the GROU list please contact CFA at envsci@canadian-farmers.ca.
To help you identify potential products, please refer to the list of nominated products from previous years and their status and/or reasons they were not eligible for GROU.
View products deemed ineligible for the GROU program in past years
GROU Nomination Committee
The GROU Nomination Committee selects high priority products and requests that PMRA make them available for import through GROU. Once nominated, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) evaluates all nominated products to determine their eligibility for the program. The GROU Nomination committee is made up of representatives from the following organizations: