Quebec to restrict neonicotinoids and atrazine pesticides

Quebec has announced plans to implement a new strategy that will restrict the use of certain pesticides deemed "high-risk."

Environment Minister DavidHeurtel's new strategyprimarily focuses limiting certain pesticides used in agriculture, such as neonicotinoidsand atrazine, which has been banned in Europe for more than 10 years.

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If the guidelines are successfully implemented,farmers will have to get permission from agronomists before using certain pesticides on crops.

Heurtel hopes the new guidelineswill discourage the use of riskier pesticides,and increase the use of safer alternatives such asbiopesticides.

But the changes aren't going over well with agricultural workers.

The head of the union of farmers in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Gilbert Marquis, is worried the restrictions could hurt their bottomlines.

Marquis is concerned that without pesticides, farmerswon't be able togive customers the beautiful-looking veggies they're accustomed to.

"People who buy produceat the grocery store, how far will they travel to find produce that doesn'thave blemishes?"

Urban gardeners will face restrictions too

Neonicotinoidsin particular have beencited by researchers as a partial cause in the massive decline in bee colony populations in North America in recent years.

The changes will also be felt by urban gardeners who use pesticides on their lawns. The number of pesticides that are banned for use on plants (lawns, trees and shrubs)will triple. There will also be a minimum set distance required for applying pesticides near inhabited areas.

Dr.Franois Reeves, a cardiologist and member of the David SuzukiScientistsCircle,joined Heurtel for the announcement. Sheaffirmed the link between some pesticides and illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and cancer.

"This will have the benefits of reducing illness caused by pesticides and stopping the decline of the bee, butterfly and earthworm populations," he said.

Environmental group quiterre said it's happy with the strategy, though it had pushed foran outright ban of certainpesticides rather thanrestrictions on their use.

Urban beekeeping groupMielMontreal is more skeptical.

SpokespersonAlexandreBeaudoinsaid he's concerned the government isn't being aggressive enough.

"We'd like to see the name of some of the pesticidesand see if it is their objective to ban them or to reduce them by some percentage ... we'd like to see how the agronomists are going to use tools to evaluate whether to use or not use a pesticide," hesaid.

The Quebec government's next stepwill be to table a draft bill toamendthe Pesticides Act.

Heurtel said he expects the changes could roll out as soon as this spring.