B.C. farmers return more than 19,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

VANCOUVER, March 3, 2015 /CNW/ - Farmers in B.C. turned in 19,791 kilograms of obsolete and unwanted pesticides, and 156 kilograms of livestock and equine medications through CleanFARMS' obsolete collection campaign in 2014.

Collections took place at five participating ag-retail and municipal locations in the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island regions of the province from October 15 – October 23, 2014. This is the fourth collection program CleanFARMS, a national, industry-led waste stewardship organization, has run in the province.

This marked the first time that a combined collection of pesticides and livestock medications has been offered in B.C. CleanFARMS partnered with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) to add the collection of livestock and equine medications to CleanFARMS' existing obsolete pesticide collection program.

"Farmers want to do the right thing and responsibly manage the waste on their farms; this program really allows them to do this. The British Columbia Agricultural Council (BCAC) is proud to support a program like this that supports sustainable agriculture," says Stan Vander Waal, chair of BCAC. 

Farmers in B.C. have a long history of good stewardship practices. Since 1998, B.C. farmers have turned in more than 226,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides – which is a testament to their environmental commitment.

"This year's collection was a great success thanks to the commitment of B.C. farmers and participating collection sites," said Barry Friesen, CleanFARMS' general manager. "B.C. farmers' continued dedication to the obsolete collections program proves their commitment to protecting the environment and making responsible decisions on the farm."

The obsolete collection program is generally delivered in each province or region of the country every three years and comes at no cost to farmers. The program will be delivered in the Okanagan Valley, Kootenay Valley and Interior Regions of B.C. in the fall of 2015. In between collections, farmers are encouraged to safely store their unwanted pesticides and livestock medications until they can properly dispose of them through the program.

The obsolete collection program is part of the plant science and animal health industry's commitment to the responsible lifecycle management of their products.

For more information, please visit www.cleanfarms.ca.

SOURCE CleanFARMS Inc.

For further information: Erin O'Hara, media relations, [phone] x3223, [e-mail]