More than 54,000 kg of products were disposed of
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Farmers in Manitoba helped dispose of more than 54,000 kilograms of unwanted and obsolete pesticides and livestock medications through CleanFARMS’ 2016 collection campaign.
Collections took place between Oct. 24 and 28 last year. Specifically, 53,000 kg of pesticides and 1,800 kg of livestock medications were disposed of during the campaign.
Since CleanFARMS started the collection initiatives in 1998, Manitoba farmers have helped safely dispose of more than 272,000 kg of obsolete pesticides. It’s only the second time livestock medication disposal was offered in the province.
"Farmers in Manitoba are committed to protecting the environment and the high number of participants in this program is just another example of our efforts,” Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said in a release. “The CleanFARMS collection program provides farmers with an environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused or expired pesticides and livestock medications…”
The program’s success comes as a direct result of the efforts of Manitoba farmers and their commitment to protecting the environment and making responsible decisions on the farm, Barry Friesen, general manager of CleanFARMS, said in the release.
The free disposal comes to each province about every three years. Until it returns, farmers are encouraged to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medications.
Parts of the country expected to participate in similar CleanFARMS programs this year are:
- British Columbia – Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island,
- Saskatchewan – southern region,
- Quebec – province-wide, and
- Prince Edward Island – province-wide.
According to the organization, since the program’s inception in 1998, more than two million kilograms of pesticides have been safely and properly disposed of across the country.