Saskatchewan farmers safely dispose of more than 91,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

SASKATOON, March 10, 2016 /CNW/ - Farmers in Saskatchewan returned 89,832 kilograms of obsolete and unwanted pesticides and 1,289 kilograms of livestock and equine medications through CleanFARMS' obsolete collection campaign this year.

CleanFARMS, which operates the program, is a national, industry-led agricultural waste stewardship organization. Collections took place at 20 participating ag-retail locations throughout the northern half of Saskatchewan from October 5-9, 2015. This is the fourth collection program CleanFARMS has run in the province.

This marked the first time that a combined collection of pesticides and livestock medications has been offered in the northern region of Saskatchewan. CleanFARMS partnered with the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) to offer the collection of livestock and equine medications to CleanFARMS' existing program.

"Saskatchewan farmers care about the environment and are keen to responsibly manage waste from their farms," said Norm Hall, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). "CleanFARMS provides a one-stop service to safely manage unused or expired pesticides and livestock medications."

Saskatchewan farmers have a long history of good stewardship practices and have been participating in the obsolete collections program since 1999 - which is a testament to their environmental commitment. The program last came to northern Saskatchewan in 2012, when more than 60,000 kilograms of product was collected from farmers and safely disposed of.

"This year's collection was a great success thanks to the commitment of Saskatchewan farmers and participating ag-retail collection sites," said Barry Friesen, CleanFARMS' general manager. "CleanFARMS is proud to offer collection programs that ensure unwanted and obsolete pesticides, as well as livestock and equine medications, can be disposed of in an environmentally responsible way."

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 southern half of Saskatchewan in the fall of 2017. 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: Jillian Bender, media relations, [phone] x 3228, [e-mail]