Canadian BC MPs reject pesticide ban

A special committee of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of British Columbia has rejected calls for a province-wide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides. The majority of MPs on the committee concluded that there was insufficient scientific evidence to support such a ban and could not justify disagreeing with the national Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency’s “comprehensive pesticide testing and re-evaluations”. The committee makes 17 recommendations, including restricting the sale and use of commercial-class pesticides, improving enforcement regulations and strengthening training and public education. British Columbia initiated a public consultation on possible restrictions on cosmetic pesticides in late 2009 ( Agrow No 583, p 16). Almost 5,000 of the 7,300 submissions supported a ban.