Stop Using Tebuconazole on Turf
Health Canada PMRA Release April 2025
Changes to the Registration of Tebuconazole Pesticides - Turf Uses Cancelled
(important clarification in editor's note at the end)
All pesticides used in Canada must be registered under the Pest Control Products Act. Pesticides are re-evaluated to ensure that they continue to meet health and environmental requirements. Re-evaluation may result in the revocation of a product or product uses. Health Canada may also request changes to a product's label, including mitigation measures, use sites and application methods.
Tebuconazole is a systemic fungicide used on field crops, asparagus and turf, for seed treatment and as a wood preservative. Highlights of the re-evaluation decision for the active ingredient tebuconazole, published on November 20, 2024, are summarized below.
Use as a wood preservative has been evaluated separately and is therefore excluded from this document.
Cancelled products, as of November 20, 2027
Stop using the following products:
Cancelled product Registration No.
DEDICATE STRESSGARD 33236
MIRAGE STRESSGARD 32405
The sale of those products is prohibited as of November 20, 2026.
Changes to the label of tebuconazole pesticides, as of November 20, 2026
Cancelled uses - Stop uses on turf.
Other risk reduction measures
- Updated maximum annual application rate
- Limit of a single application/year on asparagus and intensive short-rotation crops (poplar and willow)
- Rotational plant-back interval of at least 120 days between application for food and feed crops
- Updated application rates and a maximum of one application/year or two half-rate applications at 10-day apart intervals for soybeans
- Imposition of a 12-hour restricted-entry interval (REI) for agricultural sites
- Closed systems required for commercial corn seed treatment
- Enclosed cabin equipped with an adequate air filter preventing any contact between the occupant and the pesticides required for seeding seeds treated with tebuconazole
- Updated personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, according to the type of activity and the type of application equipment.
- Limit on amount of product handled per day when applying with a handheld airblast/mistblower
- Updated buffer zones
- Added warnings to protect aquatic habitats and non-target organisms
Users must follow the instructions on the updated labels.
Using a pesticide contrary to the label directions is a violation of the Pest Control Products Act.
Read and follow the label
All pesticides registered in Canada have a Health Canada-approved label with a registration number. Read the pesticide label carefully, as it contains specific information on how to use it.
To find the most up-to-date label, use our online label search tool or search for Health Canada pesticide labels using your favourite search engine.
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Editor's note:
I was a bit confused about this notice, ie. is the turf cancellation effective immediately, in Nov 2026 when the label change is due or Nov 2027 which is more like the PMRA's standard phase-out period. The re-evaluation decision document wasn't much help either so I asked Pesticide Compliance Officer, Shaun Dhaliwhal and here's what he had to say.
From: Dhaliwal, Shaun (HC/SC)
Sent: April 8, 2025 3:09 PM
To: WCTA Executive Director
Subject: RE: New Factsheet- Tebuconazole
Unclassified / Non classifi
Hi Jerry,
Good catch. Yes that is a bit confusing. I will note this as feedback.
With re-evalutions, PMRA has a standard timeline. For products that are all out cancelled it is 3 years. For product label amendments it is a 2 year. Given there are non-turf products used by other industries and there are some label amendments for those, manufacturers have 2 years to have the label updated and users follow those new labels (i.e 1 application to asparagus).
Mirage and Dedicate do not have other labelled uses besides turf, so they will go through the cancellation process, which is 3 years. In theory, there can be products that have turf and say Ag uses on the label. In that case there is 2 years to get the label updated, which would include removing turf uses. So that section that says stop using in Nov 2026 is I believe for that scenario of products. However, after checking label search, I dont see any (Its just Mirage and Dedicate), so that dual industry scenario doesnt apply. So it seems they didnt need to add that stop use on turf under 2026 as it confuses the main point.
Long story short- You can use Mirage/Dedicate until Nov 20 2027 when the product expires.
Shaun Dhaliwal
Pesticide Compliance & Enforcement Officer
Pesticide Compliance Program
Health Canada