Western Canada: Federal ban on strychnine prompts fears among ranchers and farmers

Good morning. It’s James Keller in Calgary.

For farmers and ranchers on the Prairies – or, more specifically, their animals – Richardson’s ground squirrels are a major danger.

The squirrels destroy crops and damage farmland – but, even worse, they attract other animals, such as badgers, which dig holes. Kevin Wrista, a rancher in Elk Point, Alta., says all the tunnelling can turn the landscape into a minefield, full of small hazards that can break the legs of bulls, forcing the euthanization of valuable livestock.

Right now, the go-to way to control ground squirrels is strychnine, a chemical that can kill them instantly. But it’s a poison that studies have shown can endanger animals that feed on the squirrels, such as the swift fox and burrowing owl.

Strychnine’s use is coming to an end after Health Canada announced in 2020 that the chemical would be banned. The change is happening in phases. Last month, municipalities and counties lost the ability to sell it. On March 4, 2023, it will be banned completely.

Kate Helmore looks at the controversy in a story in this weekend’s Globe.

Experts have applauded the decision, and the federal government insists that there are less harmful ways to control ground squirrels, such as with aluminum phosphide, or with RoCon, a white mustard seed powder.

But ranchers, farmers, industry groups and provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan have objected, arguing that Ottawa is removing the only effective way to control ground squirrels while ignoring ways strychnine can be used safely.

Mr. Wrista, the rancher in Elk Point, said he’s skeptical of the alternatives.

“Without strychnine, it’s not a case of if my livestock break their legs, but when,” he said.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, or PMRA, says the decision to enact the ban was based on five studies over nearly two decades, including one in 2002 that found strychnine poisoning in non-target animals. The agency also points to a lack of mitigation measures to protect non-target species.

Mr. Wrista says he’ll be turning to trapping – a time-consuming and expensive technique that often fails to keep up. Still, he’s confident that innovative farmers and ranchers will find ways to adapt.

This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief James Keller. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.