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News release
$2.5 Million for Introduction of Environmentally Sound Farming Practices in the Management of Crop Pests
Quebec City, November 5, 1998 – The Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is setting up a new agro-environmental support program for the Plant Health Strategy. The program is funded to the tune of $2.5 million from the Agriculture component of the St Lawrence Vision 2000 Action Plan to pay for projects intended to introduce environmentally sound farming practices in the management of crop pests. Its purpose is to promote action complementary to that already undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and by other partners in the Plant Health Strategy. SLV 2000 is a federal/provincial initiative to protect the St.Lawrence River.
Targeted crops
The program addresses the following: field crops (corn, soybeans, cereals), apples and potatoes. These crops absorb over 70% of the farm pesticides sold in Quebec and take up over 95% of the cultivated area, excluding forage crops. By targeting these crops, the program will significantly reduce pesticide use and the associated risks.
Objectives
Program objectives for the targeted crops are a 50% reduction in pesticide use and 70% of the cultivated area under integrated pest control. Attainment of these objectives will help reduce contamination of watercourses and safeguard aquatic life and water quality.
Means
The program provides financial assistance for development (one or two years) and technology transfer (one year) projects. Such projects will be given priority in the action plans drawn up by the strategy teams for the targeted sectors. Projects must promote integrated control of weeds, insect pests and diseases and must focus on reducing pesticide quantities and the concomitant environmental hazards.
The financial assistance covers 80 % of project costs for development and 90% for technology transfer. There is a ceiling of $30,000 for one-year projects and $50,000 for two-year projects.
Projects
Eligible projects must be communal in scope, with potential for transfer to and use by large numbers of farmers. They should promote the following:
- establishment of environmentally sound pest control models;
- expeditious transfer of technology to farmers through development of educational and promotional tools.
Term
The program runs until March 31, 2003. Further information, likewise the text of the program, can be obtained by writing to the Plant Health Strategy Co-ordinator, Environment and Sustainable Development Branch, MAPAQ (Quebec Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), 200 chemin Sainte-Foy, 9th floor, Quebec City, Quebec G1R 4X6, or by calling (418) 644-2156 or faxing (418) 528-0405.
Source :
Martine Boivin
Information Officer
MAPAQ
Telephone: (418) 643-1151
Information :
Raymond-Marie Duchesne
Plant Health Strategy Co-ordinator
Telephone: (418) 644-2156
Également offert en français
Date de modification : 1998/10/21 – Avis importants
