A Promise Kept, Unfortunately

Jackie Fraser, Executive Director, AGCare

Remember last fall’s election campaign and its many promises? Like most Ontarions you have probably forgotten them, or didn’t expect any to actually be acted upon anyway.

One promise in particular had AGCare’s attention, and that was McGuinty’s promise for a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticide use. I held hope that this was as empty as his last election promise to not raise my taxes.

How could the provincial government, who is responsible for the Pesticides Act and has a science-based Pesticide Advisory Committee ever conceive of such a thing? It’s one thing to expect this of municipal governments who do not have the scientific expertise and are therefore vulnerable to public opinion trumping science. However, I expect better from a government with scientists employed in a specific Pesticides Management Section within the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), as well as crop protection experts at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

My hopes that McGuinty would forget about his cosmetic pesticide use ban promise were dashed when he mentioned it specifically in his November 29 throne
speech.

The government is dealing with this issue as we speak. Apparently they see this legislation as an easy win and don’t anticipate much resistance. They think an agricultural exemption will keep us from objecting.

However, we know that a provincial ban will send a signal to the public that pesticides are inherently dangerous, so much so that they need to be banned. It won’t take long for activists to swing the media coverage towards agricultural use, as we know has always been the greater plan.

Throughout the cosmetic use debate at the municipal level, our message has consistently been that it’s not the products that are dangerous, it’s irresponsible use that is the problem. The products themselves should not be banned, as they can be used safely if label instructions are followed. Legislation should instead focus on ensuring responsible use. Of course in agriculture we’ve been way ahead of the curve. We asked for and helped create the Grower Pesticide Safety Course for agricultural pesticide use twenty years ago.

Agriculture should use its leadership and knowledge from this process to promote responsible use legislation, rather than a ban. We can advocate for and help develop training for those using and selling pesticide products. Perhaps certain classifications of pesticides should be kept “behind the counter”, pharmacy-style. Maybe some products should be for professional use only. To remove further risk of exposure or irresponsible use, no concentrates should be available for non-professional use. These are just some ideas for consideration.

Getting mixed signals from our government agencies is really frustrating for farmers. The federal government’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) tells us that pesticides can be used safely if label instructions are followed. Now we have the provincial government telling us that pesticides are so unsafe they need to be banned. Someone is wrong, and if I were to place my bets, it’s not the PMRA.

What kind of signal does this send to the companies that develop the products we need? Would you invest in registering a product in Canada if there was the risk of a provincial agency ignoring the registration process anyway? Once again, we run the risk of increasing the gap between what is available to growers in Canada versus our neighbours to the south.

AGCare has sent a letter stating these concerns to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Minister of Environment, and the Premier, asking for
some time to meet with them to discuss the issue. Our efforts will be greatly enhanced if all of agriculture also states their concerns. Please encourage your own local or provincial organizations to get involved. If you get a chance to speak to your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), please mention this concern to him or her.

As always, contact AGCare at 519-837-1326 or jfraser@agcare.org if you have any questions and we’ll try to ensure that important information is updated on our website regularly at www.agcare.org.