Farmer pleads guilty to pesticide offence after fish kill

A Cornwall, P.E.I., farmer will be sentenced next week for an infraction under the Pesticide Control Act.

Edwin Scott, 64, pleaded guilty Wednesday in court in Charlottetown.

The court heard Scott was cleaning out his sprayer last fall. A few days later, dead fish were found in the nearby Hyde Creek.

The cause of fish kill was undetermined, but water samples tested positive for the herbicide Diquat.

Court heard Scott has since dug a new well farther from the stream to try to prevent a reoccurrence.

The Crown is looking for a fine of $30,000 to $50,000, and the defence is recommending a tenth of that, $3,000 to $5,000.

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