Ontario farmers may be upset about the mess that is neonicotinoids policy in this province, or not, as their personal farming practices dictate, but we suspect many are feel a little disrespected by the Agriculture Minister and the Province of Ontario.
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The government says there will be consultations on new regulations over the next couple of months, but has already released the goal, an 80 per cent reduction in the number of acres planted with treated seed. Just how that will happen remains to be seen, and the Grain Farmers of Ontario have pointed out, the product is licensed federally. We should all acknowledge there are major concerns for bees, and it is generally accepted those challenges are caused by a number of factors. Since the product is used in a variety of ways not just as seed treatment, we aren't all that optimistic the new road the government is treading will have any significant effect at all. The feeling of disrespect comes however not just because the province wishes to do something many farmers feel is not following best science, but in part the way it is doing it. The greater agricultural industry has admitted and taken steps to deal with the fact that there is a problem with neo-nics in some application formats. That's why planter manufacturers are putting together implements designed to limit the pesticide drift that had been coming from their machines. That is also why additives to the seed mix on those planters were changed. But while agriculture works to resolve the issues, the government places arbitrary deadlines and limits, and does so in a way that might be seen as a snub by many. The day the impending regulations were announced the Agriculture Minister addressed Ontario's largest farm body refused to take questions, and didn't mention the topic in any kind of reasonable way. There are a lot of angry farmers Mr. Minister and ducking them isn't a good idea. That being said, there certainly are farmers who are not sold on the need for these products. And while groups like the Grain Farmers of Ontario does support the products it should be willing to heed its own call for a science based procedure. For example it's starting to look as if there is science to suggest there is no yield gain from using the product on soybeans. If that's the case, it clearly shouldn't be used on soybeans, and if that's largely the case, except for a few circumstances it should only be used in those circumstances. It would be naive to suggest there is no problem. The agricultural sector was at least starting to look for a solution. The announcement this week, likely drives another wedge between Queen's Park and Rural Ontario.
