Province opposes ban on farmers’ use of strychnine

EDMONTON The Alberta government is telling Ottawa it doesn’t support a federal proposal to ban the use of liquid strychnine poison for killing prairie gophers.

Gophers, which burrow underground, can damage crops and hurt livestock.

Health Canada is proposing to ban the use of strychnine to control the rodents, formally known as the Richardson ground squirrel.

There is concern strychnine kills other animals, including species at risk such as the swift fox and the burrowing owl.

The federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency is accepting feedback on the proposed ban until next Thursday.

Alberta Agriculture says producers are worried about the financial implications of the proposed ban because strychnine is the only effective tool they know of for controlling crop-destroying gophers.

“Alberta has about 24 million seeded acres of crop each year with an estimate of $5 billion of production value,” Carrie Sancartier, a department spokeswoman, said in an email.

“Richardson ground squirrel populations have the potential to explode in the absence of viable control options. This could result in huge financial impacts to agricultural producers.”

Groups including the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities also oppose the proposed ban.