Saskatchewan farmers safely dispose of more than 94,000 kilograms of obsolete pesticides and livestock medications

SASKATOON, Jan. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - Farmers in Saskatchewan returned 93,935 kilograms of obsolete and unwanted pesticides and 540 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 southern half of Saskatchewan from October 27 – October 31, 2014. 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 Saskatchewan. 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.

"The members of the Canadian Animal Health Institute were pleased to participate in this important program.  It demonstrates our industry's commitment to safely managing animal medications throughout their lifecycle," said Jean Szkotnicki, President of CAHI.  "We were pleased to partner with CleanFARMS by providing Saskatchewan's livestock and equine community with this service."

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 2011, 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 northern half of Saskatchewan 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 more information, please contact: Erin O'Hara, media relations, [phone] x3223, [email protected]