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Almost 10,000 kgs of obsolete ag chemicals removed from B.C.

During a recent collection
campaign of obsolete agricultural chemicals, farmers in British
Columbia brought in 9,789 kilograms of unwanted pesticides from across
the province for safe disposal.

During a recent collection campaign of obsolete agricultural chemicals, farmers in British Columbia brought in 9,789 kilograms of unwanted pesticides from across the province for safe disposal.

“This program provided a safe, effective and cost-free way for farmers to properly dispose of obsolete products,” says Cam Davreux, vice president of CropLife Canada. “Thanks to their efforts and support from government, industry, ag-retailers and farmers, we have ensured the proper management of our crop protection products.”

The Obsolete Pesticide Collection Campaign is an industry-led stewardship program aimed at collecting and safely disposing of obsolete agricultural pesticides. CropLife Canada partnered with B.C. Agriculture Council’s Agriculture Environment Initiatives; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; the B.C. Ministry of Environment; the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands; Environment Canada; Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC, and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency to undertake the campaign.

“I want to congratulate the farmers who participated in this pesticide collection program,” said Brian Baehr, Agriculture Environment Initiatives coordinator for the B.C. Agriculture Council. “Our joint efforts demonstrate our commitment to the environment and the safety of our communities.”

“These types of programs build upon industry's commitment to environment and public health,” says Davreux. “Stewardship has and will always be our number one priority. This collection program is part of our commitment to environmental responsibility and CropLife Canada’s stewardshipfirst^TM program, which promotes safe and responsible use of crop protection products from development through to disposal.”

Since the program commenced in 2000, CropLife Canada and its stakeholders have collected 174,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides from farmers in British Columbia.