Farmers have nothing to worry about when it comes to a possible ban on pesticides by the city of Vernon.Councillor Buffy Baumbrough says there seems to be some misconceptions about the city's proposed bylaw.
She says it would only impact cosmetic pesticide use. "(The ban would cover) the use of pesticides for aesthetic reasons only, so if you have some kind of pest infestation, there's room in there, or if it's a noxious weed, an invasive weed, there's room in there to use pesticides.
Baumbrough says the Right To Farm Act allows the agriculture industry to use pesticides, and most of the farms are outside Vernon's jurisdiction.City council heard from a delegation that argued trained people should still be allowed to apply the chemicals.
Orchardist Sid Sidhu told council, "A ban on pesticides would probably close the door on agriculture", and he asked council to think carefully about "banning pesticides."
The city plans to ban cosmetic pesticide use on public land by 2010 and on private land by 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment