Canada’s plans to find new export markets could be derailed by its reliance on pesticides. Canada leads the world in lentils  production and exports worth $2.3 billion (USD) in 2023. It’s vital to the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and processers.

As global consumers move to healthier foods, a huge export market is being put at risk by Canada’s lax regulation.

Just last week Canadian lentils were the subject of a French journalist’s investigation that resulted in two Canadian lentil products being banned because of high levels of diquat residues. Red lentils are Canada’s largest exported pulse, with over 1.2 million tons shipped in 2024-25. India is the number one destination, followed by Turkey and the UAE.

Lentils are an important case in point of the trade challenges Canada faces with the current pesticide regime. The Western Producer reports on a 2024 study commissioned by Pulse Canada finding that 30 per cent of consumers in the United Kingdom and Germany eat lentils weekly, and more than half view them as healthy and nutritious. “… there is a big opportunity to grow demand in the packaged food sector with products such as snacks, baked goods and plant-based burgers. Two-thirds of global lentil product launches come from Europe, led by the U.K., France and Germany.”  The public may be eating more lentils but do they want to eat more pesticide residues in lentils from Canada?

Europe is taking a precautionary approach, banning diquat in 2019 and restricting glyphosate pre-harvest use due to health concerns. Meanwhile, Canada allows use of both diquat and glyphosate for pre-harvest uses that dry down plants before harvest resulting in higher residue levels. In the November 2025 budget, Canada proposes to weaken its already lax pesticide oversight by ending routine re-evaluations.

It is astounding that at a time when global markets are demanding safer food, Canada is considering rolling back key pesticide protections, in particular, re-evaluations at fifteen year intervals. In fact, we suspect Canada is still considering raising the MRLs for glyphosate in food – a move that was paused back in August 2021 after wide public pushback but lifted in 2023. While PMRA has moved with increases in some MRLS, the glyphosate MRL has not changed yet nor should it.

This isn’t only a trade issue; it’s a public health and environment issue. The current approach, rooted in managing risk rather than preventing harm, is creating a global liability. By making it easier to keep harmful pesticides on the market, the government is putting the profits of the pesticide industry ahead of new global markets as well as the health of Canadians, our farmers’ international reputation, and the environment.