Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry minister Walter Bradley said today that ECOPEI's latest tactic to scare tourists about pesticide use is totally irresponsible and calls into serious question the group's credibility.
"This kind of unsubstantiated fear-mongering and finger-pointing could have serious repercussions for both the tourism and agricultural industries," said Mr. Bradley. He said the brochure being handed out to tourists by ECOPEI is filled with misleading and erroneous statements and leaves the impression that no one is practising responsible pesticide use in the province.
"No industry needs or deserves this kind of negative publicity which could undermine millions of dollars of taxpayer investment in tourism promotion and agriculture development," he said.
Mr. Bradley said he is disappointed that some environmental groups totally ignore the steps the agriculture industry has taken to ensure safe and responsible use of pesticides in the province. He pointed to ongoing programs to train and certify all pesticide users, the pesticide container recycling program, water quality monitoring, increased enforcement of pesticide use regulations, tighter wind speed regulations to prevent spray drift and the adoption of integrated pest management programs by producers.
"Nothing short of a total ban on pesticides will satisfy these people, and at this point, that is simply unwarranted and unnecessary," said the minister. "Safe pesticide use is the goal and we must be reasonable and use common sense. Car accidents haven't resulted in a ban on cars."
"Public policy must be based on hard evidence as opposed to perceptions and fears," he said. "We are satisfied that the current regulatory framework along with continued improvements in on-farm practices is protecting the health of Islanders, tourists and the environment."
Mr. Bradley said he agrees that pesticides must be properly stored, handled and applied and, like any chemical, can have negative effects if used improperly. But he said he draws the line at some of the statements made by ECOPEI.
"The results of extensive monitoring of groundwater, surface water and food products by federal and provincial agencies simply don't support the claims being made. I hope tourists and Islanders alike will recognize how misleading ECOPEI's brochure really is."
Environmental groups must take more responsibility for the impact of their actions on others, according to Mr. Bradley. He pointed to the $15 million extra cost for raising the Irving Whale as a result of the court actions of a Quebec environmental group last year.
BACKGROUNDER:
Recent Initiatives re: Pesticide Use by Industry and Government
Increase in the Number of Inspectors from one to five resulting in over 500 inspections being made to date in the 1996 season.
Creation of an enforcement program specific to pesticides.
Establishment of a toll-free reporting mechanism for pesticide complaints.
Mandatory certification of over 2000 people entitling them to purchase and apply non-domestic pesticides.
Creation of the Round Table on Land Use and Stewardship.
Establishment of a 25 km/hr maximum wind speed for ground applications.
Establishment of a ticketing mechanism for violations of the Pesticides Control Act - Regulations.
Partnership with industry on the establishment of a pesticide container recycling program achieving a 80% recovery rate.
Continuing education for crop consultants on pesticide issues such as IPM and sprayer calibration.
Educational programs for producers at grower meetings, workshops and conferences.
Evaluating a late blight forecasting system to improve pesticide use.
Partnership with the federal government on the evaluation of alternative controls.
Emergency Response Strategy for pesticide spills.