Free training surrounding the use of neonicitinoids is
on offer from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
The courses farmers will need are on offer online or
at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown college.
Next year farmers will need to prove their fields are
under insect threat before they will be allowed to plant corn or soybean seeds
treated with neonicitinoids.
The government says “training and
helping farmers to recognize and determine the field presence of insect pests
is part of the Pollinator Health Action Plan to be released soon.”
The plan “is part of the province’s larger strategy to
reduce neonicotinoid use and improve pollinator health,” says OMAFRA.
The plan aims to reduce neonicitinoid seed-treated
acreage by 80 per cent by 2017.
To register for the half-day course at Ridgetown
college, call 1-866-225-9020, or go online at www.IPMcertified.ca
.