Canada’s Ontario neonic restrictions to cost farmers $880 million a year: CropLife study

Provincial regulations on insecticide seed treatments will reduce the incomes of Ontario farmers by $880 million annually, says CropLife Canada.

RIAS Inc., an Ottawa consulting firm specializing in regulatory impacts, prepared a report for CropLife on the consequences of Ontario’s proposed regulations for neonicotinoid insecticides, which are applied to nearly all of the corn and canola seeds in North America and a portion of soybean seeds.

The province of Ontario introduced new rules this spring for neonicotinoids, commonly known as neonics, to reduce the use of the insecticidal seed treatments by 80 percent.

Neonics have been linked to bee colony losses and bee deaths in Ontario, particularly in the spring of 2012 and the winter of 2013/2014.

To achieve the 80 percent reduction by 2017, the province will establish requirements for the sale and use of corn and soybean seed coated with neonics, where farmers will have to prove there is a pest infestation in a corn or soybean field before using the product.

In its report, published May 8, RIAS said the neonic regulations would reduce yields and corn production in Ontario by 2.6 million tonnes per year. RIAS expects soybean production to fall by one million tonnes per year.

In addition to lost production, complying with the regulations will likely cost farmers $24 million annually, RIAS said.

Ted Menzies, CropLife Canada president and chief executive officer, said the proposed regulations would compromise the financial viability of farming in Ontario.

“The cost burden of this plan is tremendous, all without any tangible evidence that these regulations will have any positive impact on bee health,” Menzies said in a statement.

“Neonicotinoids have been thoroughly assessed and approved by Health Canada. It’s difficult to understand why the Ontario government would undermine farmers like this and put them at such a huge competitive disadvantage.”