Progress in the fight against pesticides

After all the years that I’ve been working with Équiterre to restrict the use of the most dangerous pesticides to our health and to the environment, the upcoming regulatory tightening by the Quebec government finally marks significant progress! In urban areas, the good news is particularly satisfying: city dwellers will be less exposed; fewer pesticides will be available, and their use will be better regulated.

There is still much to be done, but it’s encouraging to see that all the work to put pressure on the government, both from groups like Équiterre and from citizen mobilization efforts, have successfully encouraged reflection and action to put measures in place to reduce the dangers associated with pesticides.

How does this benefit us all?

Better management and control

One of the major victories in the upcoming regulations is that all seeds coated with insecticides will be banned in agriculture, unless they are prescribed and justified by an agronomist. This is a key demand that Équiterre has been making for years!

This measure will help protect our ecosystems, especially bees and aquatic fauna. It’s also aligned with science. Research has proven that insecticides in seed coatings are useless in the vast majority of cases.

This measure will help protect our ecosystems, especially bees and aquatic fauna. It’s also aligned with science. Research has proven that insecticides in seed coatings are useless in the vast majority of cases.

More pesticides banned and more areas protected

Another piece of good news is that in addition to grassy areas, pesticides will be banned from outdoor green spaces and from inside buildings, except under specific conditions. Furthermore, the number of banned over-the-counter pesticides used in urban areas will be increased from 21 to 62. In a nutshell, this means that fewer pesticides will be available and, for those that still are, their use will be permitted on fewer surfaces.

From now on, it will be forbidden to apply waste sludge from outside of Canada on our agricultural land because of the potential for contamination of farmland and its possible impacts on the population.

When it comes to local sludge, with its contaminating potential, Équiterre has recommended public consultations.

A long path to get here

The changes to the regulations have been long awaited. From 2011 to 2019, Équiterre led several initiatives to influence our governments' decisions to legislate to reduce the use of pesticides. In 2018, for example, we applauded the introduction of mandatory prescriptions by agronomists to justify the purchase and application of some of the most dangerous pesticides.

In 2019, we reoriented our work in agriculture at Équiterre to focus our efforts on accelerating the transition of the sector towards agricultural practices that regenerate soil health. Sustainable food is core to our actions, and food quality depends on healthy soils, so we are deeply involved in the issues around pesticide reduction. We’re very pleased that the regulatory tightening on pesticides in Quebec addresses many of the requests that we’ve been making for years!