Keystone Agricultural Producers reminds the public that pesticides are used safely in crop production, and pose no harm to those eating food produced in Manitoba.
Following last Friday’s provincial announcement of a cosmetic pesticide ban on lawns and green spaces, KAP wants to clarify the way in which crop protection products (pesticides) are used in agriculture, versus how the provincial government says cosmetic pesticides are used in cities and towns.
“The Province has said that cosmetic pesticide products are used indiscriminately on lawns and green spaces, and while I have no data on this, I can positively tell you that this is not the case with agricultural use,” said KAP president Doug Chorney.
“Crop protection products – herbicides for weeds, insecticides for insects, and fungicides for plant diseases – are used only when the pest reaches a level where it will result in significant crop loss,” he added. “It is in a famer’s best interest not to overuse these products, as there are high costs associated with their purchase and application.”
Chorney stressed that all crop protection products used by the agriculture industry have been registered by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency of Health Canada, and meet strict health and safety standards.
KAP has been opposed to the cosmetic pesticide ban because it is concerned about weed spread onto agricultural lands and the potential need for additional herbicide use to control increased weed populations.
“We are still very concerned about this issue,” Chorney said. “We urge the Province to ensure steps are put in place before 2014, when the ban comes into effect, in order to address landowners who do not control their weeds. This would include providing added resources for enforcement of the Noxious Weeds Act.”
