Farmer Alex Docherty pleads not guilty to 3 pesticide charges, pleads guilty to 1

A trial date has been set for an Island farmer who is fighting charges under the Pesticide Control Act.

Alex Docherty pleaded notguilty Wednesdayin Charlottetown provincial court to threeof four charges laid against him and his farming business.

Docherty did plead guilty to one count of use of a pesticide without holding an applicator certificate.

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Docherty's business, Skye View Farms Ltd. pleaded not guilty on the same charge.

Both Docherty and his business face three other charges to which they have pleaded not guilty:allowing a pesticide to be discharged in a manner not permitted by the manufacturer's label; failure to keep records of air temperature, wind speed and direction; and failure to keep records of trade name and PCP Act number of the pesticide applied.

The charges followed an investigation by environment officials following heavy rains and flooding last summer inElmwood.

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Defence lawyer Brandon Forbes told court Wednesday that Docherty'sguilty plea relatedto a single incident on June 22of last year.

Court heard Dochertywas sprayingherbicide sold under the brand name Round Upon a neighbour's field in which 24 ha(60 acres) of corn were to be grown.Forbes told court Docherty's Class A pesticide applicatorcertificatewasexpired on the date the field was sprayed.

Trial slated June 6 and 7

The defence lawyer told court at least four witnesses will testify for the defence at the upcoming trial on the other charges.

Judge Nancy Orr slated atwo-day trial for June 6 and 7.

Forbes told court the scheduled trial dates coincide with a busy time for farmers, when spring planting is underway.

The judge told court that is a challenge for farmers, fishermenand others who work in seasonal industries, whendealing with legal issues.

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