P.E.I. farmers get help choosing pesticides

The P.E.I. government has issued a new fact sheet that Island potato farmers can quickly refer to when considering what pesticides to use.

The fact sheet lists the most common pesticides approved in Canada and their relative impacts on birds, fish and bees.

Sebastian Ibarra, the agri-environmental specialist at the Agriculture Department who put together the document, said it is a quick first stop for farmers considering trying different pesticides.

"We've learned organisms that come in contact with the same products season after season, they develop resistance," said Ibarra.

"There is interest in ensuring that the efficacy of these products remains for the next generations of farmers to come."

Ibarra noted that the document is just a starting point, and that farmers will need to read the full label for the pesticides which can run to 100 pages before using them.

The document has been posted on the Department of Agriculture website, and farmers are being told about it through the P.E.I. Potato Board, the P.E.I. Horticultural Association, the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture, and through pesticide certification workshops.

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