| Canadian Farm Groups Fear Unpopularity of Pesticides |
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| Written by Erika Fredrickson | |
| Monday, 21 April 2008 | |
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CropLife Canada, a pesticide maker lobby group, conducted a public survey and found that 61% oppose the use of pesticides on lawns and gardens and 31% oppose farm pesticide use. Only 13% think that pesticides are vital to growing crops. Still, Minister of Agriculture Leona Dombrowsky has given an “ironclad guarantee” that the Ontario's agriculture sector will be exempt from an upcoming pesticide ban. The ban will apply to lawns and gardens only, but while some groups are concerned they'll eventually be hit with the ban, the real worry is the public sentiment against pesticides. In a recent article of “Better Farming,” executive director of AgCare, Jackie Fraser, was quoted as saying: “We are concerned about the public's attitude towards pesticide use in general.” AgCare is a coalition of farm organizations “committed to communicating about agriculture and the environment.” But they are careful to illustrate that not all pesticides are created equal and some, they claim, are necessary and harmless if applied properly. Perhaps the public is gaining an alarmist view on pesticides as Fraser seems to fear. And “pesticide” is, after all, a general term -- natural pesticides are also used for organic production. And, yes, small amounts of pesticides in our food could be virtually harmless. But if groups like AgCare are worried about protecting non-organic pesticides despite that fact that farmers and gardeners are finding perfectly acceptable organic alternatives, perhaps AgCare should be questioning its motives. |
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