|
|
TORONTO, Ontario – CropLife Canada and the Urban Pest Management Council this week announced that they want to challenge the City of Toronto's by-law banning beneficial pest control products before the Supreme Court of Canada.
CropLife Canada is asking the Supreme Court of Canada to hear its legal challenge on the City of Toronto by-law. "Pest control products are already regulated by Health Canada and provide many benefits to Canadians," says Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada. "Without pesticides, food production would drop and food prices would rise," said Hepworth.
"The power of municipalities to remove, without any proper scientific foundation, the benefits provided by a science-based federal legislation is an issue of great importance to CropLife Canada and its members," Hepworth added. “Municipal regulation that restricts the use of registered pest control products works at cross-purposes to the federal regulatory regime for pest control products and deprives the public access to beneficial products."
|
|
CropLife Canada feels that access to federally registered pest control products is an important issue to Canadians and that is why they are taking this to Canada's highest court. While there may not be a lot of farms in the City of Toronto, the Toronto by-law sets a troubling precedent for Canada's farmers. Giving municipalities the authority to regulate and ban pesticides, whether it be in urban or rural municipalities, denies farmers and others the benefits of the technology. "The Supreme Court needs to examine the other part of the equation – the benefit side," said Hepworth. In fact, studies show that without pesticides, production costs would go up by 75 percent and food retail prices would go up 27 percent.
“Canadian agriculture is an essential part of the economic, political and social fabric of Canada. It is the backbone of many communities and contributes significantly to the well being of Canadians," said Bob Friesen, President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), Canada's largest national farm organization. "Farmers depend on access to federally regulated pesticides in order to ensure crop productivity and to prevent a variety of infestations. Within the boundaries of even our biggest cities, there is agriculture.
Municipal laws must consider and respect the needs of Canadian farmers."
CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations - pest control products and plant biotechnology - for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings. CropLife Canada stands for safety and innovation supported by a foundation of continuous research and a strong commitment to stewardship.