Kavanagh was joined at the news conference by Pirmin Kummer, a potato grower from Timber River, New Brunswick, who has been a leading advocate of reduced pesticide use on crops in the Maritimes. Over the past five years, WWF has worked in the field with apple growers in Ontario's Simcoe County, Beaver Valley, and Durham Region and with potato growers in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Alberta. With assistance from provincial departments of agriculture, this program encourages an ecological approach to farming that maintains yields and growers' income, while protecting wildlife and wildlife habitat. Farmers employ a number of growing practices proven to reduce the need for pesticides, including improving plant nutrition, careful monitoring and attracting beneficial organisms that control pests. Pesticides are used only when absolutely necessary.
Farmers keep detailed records and are subject to annual third-party inspections.
The program works to achieve continuous improvement, with ecological practices being upgraded every year. Consumers are demanding action on pesticide reduction. A poll by Vector Research and Development done this year for WWF indicates that almost 75 per cent of respondents want reduced pesticides in food, even if it means paying higher prices. The poll also found that eight out of 10 Canadians support government assistance for farmers to make the transition to fewer pesticides. WWF is urging the new Canadian Government to support ecological agriculture as a key component of a truly sustainable economy and environment.