More time needed to discuss gopher poison: SARM

The President of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) believes a 90-day consultation period is not enough time to get proper feedback from farmers who use strychnine.

That’s why Ray Orb has asked the federal government’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency to extend the deadline to at least the end of October.

“We only have until the end of September for submissions, so we’ve been telling RMs to send in their comments, and the ratepayers, too,” he said.

Ottawa’s reasoning behind proposing the ban is they believe the poison can also kill other animals already at risk such as the swift fox and burrowing owl. Orb said in addition to asking for the extension, SARM will push the feds it re-think its position on strychnine.

“We can prove that strychnine is still the safest and most effective poison to control the Richardson ground squirrel and we can show them the reasons why,” he said. 

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Orb said rural residents who want to make a submission to the federal government can contact their local R.M. office for information.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell