Pesticides

Bayer-Monsanto consolidation – media backgrounder

The Bayer-Monsanto deal will transfer significant seed, pesticide and technology assets to BASF, making BASF a more powerful multinational corporation in seed, digital agriculture and agro-chemicals. Read more

NFU comments on clothianidin and thiamethoxam pollinator re-evaluation

Comments submitted by the NFU on the proposed pollinator re-evaluation decisions regarding clothianidin and thiamethoxam (PRVD2017-23 and PRVD2017-24)

The NFU supports Health Canada’s proposed decision to protect pollinators by changing the ways clothianidin and thiamethoxam can be used. Clothianidin and thiamethoxam are neonicotinoid insecticides which are of increasing concern due to their impacts on non-target organisms, including domestic and wild pollinators. Read more

Union Farmer Newsletter: March 2017

The Case for a Carbon Tax • Neonicotinoids under review: PMRA proposes phase‐out of imidacloprid and launches review of clothianidin or thiamethoxam • The Public Trust PR Campaign: Agribusiness efforts to avoid public regulation • Grain farmers—we want to hear from you! • Do Farmers Really Believe a Market Exists For Grain Sales? Read more

NFU submission to PMRA on the Proposed Decision on Imidacloprid

The proposed regulatory decision would phase out over three to five years, all outdoor agricultural, ornamental, turf, and tree uses (except tree injection uses) and greenhouse uses of imidacloprid insecticide and would restrict its use to very limited applications such as flea treatment for pets and injection of trees for control of emerald-ash borer. The decision would also implement additional precautionary measures to protect human and ecosystem health during the phase-out period. We believe this proposed decision is a positive step and we fully support it. We also urge the PMRA to implement effective monitoring and enforcement to ensure compliance with the new label restrictions during the phase-out period. We urge Health Canada to work with Environment Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to promote alternative, less toxic insecticides and non-chemical agriculture techniques for the management of insect pests in general, with a focus on the crops currently using imidacloprid. We strongly encourage federal and provincial governments to assist farmers in adopting such products and methods in order to reduce the quantity of toxic agricultural chemicals being applied to our farmland. Read more

NFU-NB Calls on government to uphold independence of Office of the Chief Medical Officer

Fredericton (December 15, 2015) - The National Farmers Union in New Brunswick is calling on the Liberal government for transparency and accountability with regards to the forced leave and termination of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Eilish Cleary. “The provincial government’s consideration of policy options, especially those that may impact human or environmental health, must be based upon sound, transparent science,” says NFU-NB president Ted Wiggans. “The termination of Dr. Cleary raises questions about the independence of the office of the Chief Medical Officer. It is incumbent upon the government to directly address Dr. Cleary’s termination to insure that the citizens of New Brunswick continue to have confidence in the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer.” Read more

UNF-NB demande au gouvernement de maintenir l’indépendance du Bureau du médecin-hygiéniste en chef

Fredericton—L'Union nationale des fermiers au Nouveau-Brunswick demande au gouvernement libéral de faire preuve de transparence et d'imputabilité en lien avec la démission forcée et le licenciement de la Dre. Eilish Cleary, Médecin-hygiéniste en chef.« L'examen des options politiques par le gouvernement provincial, surtout celles qui pourraient avoir un impact sur la santé des humains et de l'environnement, doit se faire en fonction de données scientifiques solides et transparentes, » déclare Ted Wiggans, président de l'UNF-NB. « Read more

Protecting our Pollinators Protects our Farms, says NFU-O

(June 9, 2015, Guelph, ON) – The National Farmers Union in Ontario (NFU-O) welcomes today’s announcement by Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Honourable Glen Murray, that Ontario will introduce new regulations to reduce the overuse of neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural practices in this province, effective July 1, 2015. “Bees and other insects are being exposed to neonicotinoids, not just during the planting of treated seeds, but for the whole growing season, because the insecticide is taken up by the plant and is found in pollen, nectar and guttation droplets, as well as in soils and water bodies,” notes Nathan Carey, farmer and NFU-O member. Read more

National Farmers Union welcomes Senate report on Bee Health

(June 5, 2015) = The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased to see the report, The Importance of Bee Health to Sustainable Food Production in Canada, which reflects serious attention by the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee in its study of the health of bees, including the effect of neonicotinoid insecticides on honeybees and other pollinators. The Senate Committee sought input from a variety of different perspectives, including the NFU, which appeared as witness before the Committee on May 1, 2014. The NFU submission is available at http://www.nfu.ca/story/importance-bees-and-bee-health. Read more

OP ED Public research and extension key to adoption of farmer controlled pest management

<em<span class="nfu nfu-angle-double-right"</spanBy Ann Slater</em<span class="nfu nfu-angle-double-right"</span In a report published in 2005 on Corporate Profits, the National Farmers Union (NFU) analyzed some of the mechanisms agribusiness corporations, including chemical and seed corporations, use to extract profits from our farms. Two of the mechanisms identified were "cost externalization" and "shifting knowledge". The current discussions in Ontario about the government's proposal to restrict the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments have brought these two mechanisms to mind. The move to widespread prophylactic use of neonicotinoid seed treatments, has provided the insecticide manufacturers with a ever-expanding market for their product over the past fifteen years. Many farmers have accepted the financial cost of the insecticides in return for some assurance that their crops will be protected from early season pests. Read more

Precautionary approach, support for farmers vital to neonic strategy, says NFU

<strong<span class="nfu nfu-angle-double-right"</span(JANUARY 26, 2015, </strong<span class="nfu nfu-angle-double-right"</spanDENFIELD) – The National Farmers Union in Ontario has submitted comments on the discussion paper <em<span class="nfu nfu-angle-double-right"</spanPollinator Health – A Proposal for Enhancing Pollinator Health and Reducing the Use of Neonicotinoid Pesticides in Ontario. Read more