New Quebec pesticide management code misses target
Quebecers enjoy – with good reason – the vast array of foods produced by Quebec farmers. Like discerning eaters everywhere, Quebec consumers are concerned about how their food is grown. They want to know it’s safe and they want to know the growing was done in a sustainable manner. These are concerns shared by Quebec farmers and the industries that support them and so we, collectively, put these concerns at the top of our list of priorities when we do the work we do.
Despite this shared commitment, and despite the extensive scientific information that drives the farming community, the Government of Quebec has seen fit to overlook the needs of those who grow food in your province in favour of more layers of bureaucracy designed to address a problem that does not exist.
Late last month, the province introduced restrictions on several pesticides. They said they did so to protect the environment, but the scientific evidence contradicts that rationale.
In Canada, pesticides are regulated by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. We have one of the most rigorous scientific evaluation processes in the world – a system that is much better equipped to make these assessments than any provincial government.
The reality is that pesticides used today are the safest they’ve ever been. Not only have bee colonies increased significantly over the last 20 years, but they’re at the highest they’ve ever been according to Statistics Canada data. In fact, colony numbers in Quebec have increased by almost 180 per cent since 2003, which is when farmers started to plant corn, soybean and canola neonicotinoid-treated seeds. Farmers adopted the technology because of the benefits they offer including the ability to adopt soil conservation practices which helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions and enriches soil health.
Perhaps the government just didn’t know. Didn’t know that Quebec farmers are already working on these issues; didn’t know that industry has already developed a version of the app it is proposing; didn’t know that bee populations are higher than ever before; didn’t know that the environmental groups who stood beside them while they made their announcement are notorious for misleading citizens in hopes of raising their profiles and their profits.
Quebec farmers make important contributions to the fabric of Quebec and they will ultimately be the ones more harmed by ill-conceived regulations.
Unfortunately non-science based regulations open the door to unpredictable regulations in the future. This lack of predictability will negatively impact innovation at a time when predictability and investing in innovative solutions for farmers is crucial to drive the economy and protect the environment.
Everyone in the agricultural value chain has an interest in the environment, but we’d be much better served by working together and taking a holistic, science-based approach to addressing challenges that will enable the agricultural system as a whole to thrive.
Pierre Petelle,
President and CEO, CropLife Canada