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Strychnine under review

Farmers across the country may soon have to find an alternative method of ridding their fields of pesky gophers.
gopher
The MD has created a policy around the use of Strychnine.

Farmers across the country may soon have to find an alternative method of ridding their fields of pesky gophers.


According to Matt Janz, director of agriculture and waste services for the MD, the Pest Management Regulatory Association is reviewing a commonly used solution to the overpopulation of gophers.


Strychnine is a white, odorless, bitter crystalline powder that is used by farmers throughout Canada.


“It’s a one-dose feeding poison, that once they eat a little bit of it, they die,” Janz detailed. “The problem with Strychine, is it can be a secondary poison also.”


What that means, he added, is animals that consume a gopher that has been poisoned, can die as a result.


“It’s a poison that has to be used with a lot of care and caution.”


Over the last decade, restrictions have been added to the sale of Strychnine.


Farmers can still use the product, however, they have to purchase it from a regulated body, such as the MD of Bonnyville.


“We give them the rules and regulations and they have to adhere to those,” Janz detailed.


One of the requirements, is after a resident has used the poison, they must go back the following day to collect the dead gophers and dispose of them.


“That’s just so we don’t have any secondary poisoning,” expressed Janz.


Strychnine is re-registered every five years, and undergoes testing under the Pest Management Regulatory Association.


The product is up for renewal this year, and there are signs that it won’t pass the federal regulation.


“There are thoughts that it won’t be re-registered just because of the dangerous part of Strychnine,” Janz noted, adding the MD will be sending the association a letter in support of re-regulating the poison even though gophers aren’t considered to be too much of a problem in the area.


“It’s going to say that under careful management, it’s a very important tool for farmers to use to control ground squirrels,” he continued.


The communities that suffer the most in Alberta when it comes to this pest is central and southern areas of the province.


“There are gophers just everywhere,” Janz described.


He explained how gophers can put farmers crops, livestock, and machinery at risk.


“In pastures, they dig a lot of holes and cause hazards for cattle  in terms of breaking legs. Gophers also eat a lot of the grass and compete against the cattle for food. They will destroy acres of crop if the infestation levels are high,” he exclaimed, noting the gopher holes are also very hard on farm equipment.


Every year, Janz said the MD usually sells anywhere from 15 to 20 cases of Strychnine to the about 35 producers that utilize it. While municipalities in southern communities are distributing upwards of 150 cases.


“We’re not a big user of Strychnine in our area, but in other parts of the province where they do have a higher gopher population, it’s highly used, and if those farmers didn’t have the product, they would be experiencing a lot more damage to their crops, fields, and pastures.”


Although there are other methods, Strychnine has proven to be the most effective for getting rid of the pest.


Janz noted, if Strychnine is pulled from the market, farmers will have to resort to shooting, other poisons that require multiple doses, or foam.


“Over the years, we’ve seen where they use a foam to try to drown the gophers, but it’s labour intensive.”


He stressed that if properly maintained and regulated, there’s no reason Strychnine couldn’t be re-regulated.


“It’s not like anybody can get their hands on it. It’s highly regulated, and farmers know it’s a sensitive product and that they can’t over-use it. That’s what we’re trying to stress to the federal government, is that it still has its place.”

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