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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2009-03-04, Page 15• The Huron Expositor • March 4, 2009 Page 13 NeWs' Huron farmers speak against cosmetic pesticide ban Cheryl Heath One man's "slippery slope" is an- other person's "quantum leap." Those were among the terms used Saturday, during the Hu- ron County Federation of Agriculture's annual MP/MPP luncheon, which saw the Cosmet- ic Pesticide Ban Act, ef- fective this April, •a hot topic of debate. Crop specialist. Mery Erb was among several ag-industry stakehold- ers that took to the mic in order to speak out against the ban, which already allows for an ex- emption for farmers. Part of the problem, said Erb, is public perception. Erb expressed particular displea- sure with the province's willingness to bend to the pesticide -ban sugges- tion since it was put forth by the On- tario Medical Association, which is not a regulatory body Erb said if Health Canada says pesticides are OK when used ac- cording to guidelines, then it doesn't make a lot of sense for the province to "trump" the feds' findings. Noting Health Canada is staffed by highly educated scientists and medical professionals, Erb expressed "shock" the push by medical doctors is su- perceding medical re- search. Arguing the prov- ince's ban rov-ince's'ban is little more than bowing to public pressure, Erb said once in place, the ban will eventually impact agri- culture since the public will be questioning why one sector is allowed to use something it cannot. "The new law is popular to a vocal minority," said Erb. "The Premier is posing as a white knight protecting children from evil chemicals." Further, argued Erb, Canada al- lows the import of foods from coun- tries that use chemicals banned here. "It's OK to have (pesticides) on food but not on lawns?" he asked. In short, said Erb, banning pesti- 'This is a very slippery slope for agriculture,' -- Crop specialist Mery Erb HILDEBRAND PAINT & PAPER Call Doug for all of your painting and wallpapering needs Seaforth 519-527-0058 (519)5256078 cides in urban areas while allowing their use in farm settings will only lead to a further outcry. , "The government seems all too willing to jump on the public -hyste- ria bandwagon," he said. Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell told Erb that by his own logic, the province should move forward with a complete ban on pesticides, includ- ing one for the agriculture sector. "That's what you just said," she said. Further, said Mitchell, the province is moving forward with the ban be- cause doctors have identified pesti- cides as one of the potential triggers of cancer, which is something that is becomingly increasingly problematic for Ontarians. "What we're addressing today is one in four families has cancer," said Mitchell. Mitchell said the province cannot look at the ban as an either or ques- tion. Rather, it must enact the legisla- tion in a method that is the most logical. She ' also noted the ban was part of the party's platform and, therefore, has support. Erb, however, said there were a number of platforms in the Liberal campaign, any number of which could be pointed to as a' reason for the party's success at the polls. "This thing is a slippery slope for agriculture," he said. "This is a very dangerous thing we're headed for here, and I'm not too happy about it." Varna -area farmer Bev Hill also spoke out against the legislation. "Clearly the OMA has been able to trump the science -based federal re- search," he said. "Your government has clearly demonstrated that they lack confidence in one of those orga- nizations." Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson, meanwhile, noted that farmers. must, by legislation, regularly take courses on proper pesticide applica- tion, which is something the general public is not required to do. a "Farmers are not slack. They have a strict rule to follow," he said. Mitchell stood firm to the province's findings on the issue. See MITCHELL, Page 16 • Agricultural • Residential • Commercial • Pole Line Construction ELECTRIC Rct4 R.R. # 4 Seaforth, ON NOK 1W Zvi 519.522-1556. DISPLAY ADVERTISING FRIDAY AT 4PM CLASSIFIED WORD ADS FRIDAYS AT 4 PM 'T'HOM�{I'SON URETHANE SPRAY EN FIBREGLASS INSULATION CaII Ron At 519.263-2319 Excavating Inc. DucHARME CARPENTRY rki DRYWALL TIM DUCHARME 519-527-2068 MOBILE 519-525-0138 Derrick Vit 519-4404296 Simon vanDriel poe 519-482-3783 to Bobcats,, till do. 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