Neonicotinoid restrictions planned for Ontario

Local beekeepers are pleased but Grain Farmers of Ontario moved quickly to protest an announcement by Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal that the province planned to be the first in Canada to restrict the use of neonicotinoids, a pesticide allegedly linked to bee deaths.

Ontario will require farmers and commercial growers to apply for permits to plant seeds treated with neonicotinoids.

The Ministry of Agriculture will consult with farmers, beekeepers and pesticide makers as the province moves toward having a licence system in place by autumn, for use in next spring’s planting.