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Canada -Grain Farmers of Ontario firmly oppose draft seed treatment regulations

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Publish time: 9th April, 2015      Source: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Canada -Grain Farmers of Ontario firmly oppose draft seed treatment regulationsCanada -Grain Farmers of Ontario firmly oppose draft seed treatment regulations" title="Share this link on Facebook">Guelph, Ontario, CanadaApril 9, 2015Following a technical briefing from the Ontario Ministry of Environmentand Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a thorough review of the draftseed treatment regulations, Grain Farmers of Ontario has determined the regulations to be unworkableand the organization strongly opposes any action to move them forward.“Our organization has spent a significant amount of time reviewing and evaluating the draft regulationsand brought forward numerous questions to the Ontario government regarding various aspects of theplan,” says Mark Brock, Chair of Grain Farmers of Ontario. “The lack of clarity, inability to address veryreal on-farm challenges with respect to implementation of the regulations, and the timelines imposed onthe industry as a whole create an unmanageable, widespread burden to agriculture.”The regulations present countless areas of concern including, but not limited to, pest assessmentmethods, selection of pests identified as valid, industry capacity to manage requirements, and liabilityand insurance implications.“The regulations, as drafted, create insurmountable barriers to access neonicotinoid seed treatment –essentially, the government has developed a ban on the product,” says Brock. “The primary concern forour organization is the livelihood of Ontario’s grain farmers, and these regulations will be highlydetrimental to the sustainability of these farmers, with many members wondering if there is a future forthe next generation of family farmers in this province.”The implications beyond the farm level are extensive as well, with agricultural science and technologycompanies moving investments out of Ontario. As a regulation made outside of scientific evidence andbased in the precautionary principle, it signals that Ontario operates unique to the rest of North Americaand is a high risk market with an unpredictable regulatory system.“Grain Farmers of Ontario sees no opportunity to collaborate on these regulations because the numberof fundamental, unworkable areas is far too extensive,” says Brock. “We care very much about the healthof pollinators and have worked with stakeholders, including beekeepers, to find a collaborative andsustainable approach forward for agriculture and bees, which was the Ontario Pollinator Health Blueprintand which the government dismissed entirely. Remaining focussed on a positive future for agriculture inthis province, Grain Farmers of Ontario firmly opposes the draft seed treatment regulations.”More news from: Grain Farmers of OntarioWebsite: http://www.cnchemicals.com/: April 9, 2015The news item on this page is copyright by the organization where it originatedFair use notice