Province’s grain producers wary of stricter pesticide rules

Quebec’s grain producers say their perspectives were sidelined instead of being taken into consideration by the province’s environment ministry, which is due to announce new, tighter rules on the use of pesticides on Monday.

Producteurs de grains du Québec (PGQ) president Christian Overbeek says he’s waiting for the new regulations with apprehension. The new measures, he says, will bring additional costs that are “extremely important” for producers, hinder their productivity and, by dint of their existence, harm the vitality of regions.

The PGQ is instead proposing to develop a plant protection plan in collaboration with agronomists in order to manage pests in an ecologically responsible manner while remaining mindful of the sector’s “economic imperatives.”

The organization, which represents 11,000 producers across the province, is worried about Quebec having a more onerous framework than the one in place at the federal level.

For instance, Quebec’s environment ministry plans to address neonicotinoid pesticides, whereas the Canadian agency charged with investigating their possible risks may still allow their use. This kind of pesticide made headslines in recent years because it was associated with a significant drop in bee populations. The European Union has already authorized the banning of three neonicotinoid substances.

“We have full confidence in the federal regulatory agency,” Overbeek said in an interview with La Presse canadienne. Presse Canadienne