HALIFAX: The provincial government has given the greenlight for pesticide spraying around the province.
Among the areas approved are 32.5 hectares in Denver, Guysborough County which will be sprayed by ARF Enterprises Inc.
On Aug. 26, the Department of Environment and Climate Change issued two new approvals for pesticide spraying, covering 1,172 hectares.
The approvals include aerial spraying, the province said, noting that the other company approved is J. D. Irving Inc. They said both approvals expire on Dec. 31.
There are also three previously approved multi-year approvals that allow spraying this year, and all spraying approvals are posted online at: http://novascotia.ca/nse/pesticide-spray/, the province noted.
“We only issue approvals for products that have been approved by Health Canada’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency,” spokesperson Rachel Boomer told The Reporter. “They are the agency that determines if a product is safe for use.”
According to the province, approvals include specific terms and conditions that must be met, such as only spraying during a particular range of wind speeds, maintaining separation distances and notifying the public about spraying times.
Spraying is done for forestry management and safety along transportation routes, all 10 provinces allow pesticide spraying, and there is no aerial or ground spraying taking place on Crown land in 2021, the province added.