Journal Pioneer

All the dirt

Farmers are invited to safely dispose of their agricultur­al waste

- newsroom@journalpio­neer.com

A national program urges P.E.I. farmers to dispose of their unwanted and obsolete waste for free from Nov. 6 to 17. The program, CleanFarms, will collect the pesticides and livestock (including equine) medication­s to ensure they are disposed of safely. Robert Godfrey, executive director of the P.E.I. Federation of Agricultur­e, acknowledg­ed that Island farmers are environmen­tally conscious and said he is pleased to partner with the CleanFarms program.

“The CleanFarms collection program provides an excellent one-stop service for P.E.I. farmers to continue to protect the land,” he said. CleanFarms is an industryle­d national not-for-profit environmen­tal stewardshi­p organizati­on, which works in partnershi­p with the Canadian Animal Health Institute. Barry Friesden, the general manager of CleanFarms, is

aware that P.E.I. farmers’ roots run deep, and he says they have a good history of stewardshi­p. “Prince Edward Island has a history of successful collection­s.

“The participat­ion of P.E.I. farmers shows they are good stewards of their land and committed to protecting the environmen­t,” said Friesden.

After the drop-off, the pesticides and medication­s are taken to a licensed waste management

facility where they are disposed of safely through high temperatur­e incinerati­on. The national collection program comes to each province every three years. In between collection periods, farmers are asked to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medication­s until they can properly dispose of them through the program.

 ?? ERIC MCCARTHY/JOURNAL PIONEER ?? A potato harvester sits idle in a field off the Botts Road in West Prince. Most growers have already completed their harvest.
ERIC MCCARTHY/JOURNAL PIONEER A potato harvester sits idle in a field off the Botts Road in West Prince. Most growers have already completed their harvest.

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