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Thousands of kg pesticides collected in B.C.

November 16, 2011  By Press release


November 16, 2011 –
Farmers from Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley turned in more than 22,000
kilograms of unwanted or obsolete agricultural pesticides this fall, bringing
the total amount of product collected by CleanFARMS, previously under CropLife
Canada, in British Columbia since 1998 to more than 207,000 kilograms.

November 16, 2011 –
Farmers from Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley turned in more than 22,000
kilograms of unwanted or obsolete agricultural pesticides this fall, bringing
the total amount of product collected by CleanFARMS, previously under CropLife
Canada
, in British Columbia since 1998 to more than 207,000 kilograms.

“We’re extremely
pleased with the results of this collection campaign,” says Barry Friesen,
general manager of CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led stewardship
organization that co-funded the program in B.C. “B.C. producers made a strong
statement that they are committed to environmental responsibility on their
farms.”

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CleanFARMS
partnered with the BC Agriculture Council (BCAC), through the Agriculture
Environment and Wildlife Fund
of the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation, to
fund and operate this year's program.

“B.C. farmers want
to dispose of their unwanted or old pesticides in a safe and environmentally
responsible way, and we’re pleased to help facilitate that through this
program,” says Greg Norton, chair of the BCAC Agriculture Environment
Initiatives Management Committee.

The British
Columbia obsolete pesticide collection campaign ran between Oct. 4 and Oct. 20
at five drop-off locations with participating municipalities and ag-retailers
across Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley. More than 3,900 kilograms of
product was collected on Vancouver Island and more than 18,000 kilograms in the
Fraser Valley region.

All of the obsolete
pesticides were taken to a licensed disposal facility where they are disposed
of through high temperature incineration.

This program comes
at no cost to farmers and is the plant science industry's commitment to the
full life-cycle stewardship of its products. “Protecting the environment takes
commitment and collaboration between industry and the farm community. This
program is a prime example of the success we can achieve on this front when
both groups work together,” says Friesen.

The obsolete
pesticide collection program will return again next fall where it will collect
unwanted pesticides from producers in the Okanagan, Interior and Peace regions
of the province.

CleanFARMS also
operates an empty pesticide container recycling program across the country and is
currently looking at ways to manage other on-farm agricultural waste products.

For more
information on CleanFARMS’ waste management initiatives, please visit www.CleanFARMS.ca.


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