The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) made a final decision this week to cancel the approved use of strychnine to control Richardson Ground Squirrels or gophers and that's certainly angering a lot of farm groups on the prairies.
Many are appalled to learn of the decision this week, saying it's based on anecdotal assumptions and not research. PMRA's plan is to phase out the product over the next three years, making it unavailable after March 4th of next year and fully banned by March 4th of 2023.
2 years ago, Alberta Agriculture said producers were worried about the financial implications of a ban, saying that strychnine was the only effective tool for controlling gophers.
A government spokesman said at the time, gopher populations have the potential to explode in the absence of viable control options, leading to huge financial losses to producers. Anyone opposed to the decision this week by Health Canada has 60 days to file an objection, that must be based on scientific grounds.
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