Scope
The loaded rows cover CFIA’s fixed compliance-verification concentrations for growing media without directions for use. The same memorandum also describes application-rate formulas for fertilizers and supplements; those formula-based values are not fixed product ceilings and are gap-logged rather than loaded.
Exact limit and units
| Metal | Matrix | Limit | Unit | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tAs | Growing media without directions for use | 7.5 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
| Cd | Growing media without directions for use | 2 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
| Cr-total | Growing media without directions for use | 105 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
| tHg | Growing media without directions for use | 0.5 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
| Ni | Growing media without directions for use | 18 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
| Pb | Growing media without directions for use | 50 | mg/kg | wet weight (as is) growing media |
How tested
The memorandum requires proponents to provide analyses for the listed metals and states that the standards apply to total metal content, not extractable metal content.
Enforcement posture
The standards are used by CFIA to evaluate products regulated under the Fertilizers Act where metal concerns have been raised. For growing media without use directions, CFIA applies a standard 45-year application-rate assumption to verify compliance.
History of changes
The local copy is a 2024 CFIA trade memorandum. It states that the fixed growing-media values are used where no label application rate is available.
How it compares
The CFIA wet-weight growing-media values are distinct from the CCME dry-weight comparison columns printed beside them and from the formula-based fertilizer examples elsewhere in the memorandum.
Sources
Update history
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