On November 25th, 2019, the Mexican Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) invoked the precautionary principle to deny the importation of 1,000 tons of glyphosate. Víctor Toledo, the Environmental Secretary at the time, expressed the “urgent need to…
European regulation has driven innovation away for 20 years In 2003, the European Union (EU) revised its functioning risk assessment system for GM crops. Dating back to the mid-1990s, EU Member States had competently managed their own GM crop field…
By Myles Dupin, University of Saskatchewan Student Should we scrap the pre-harvest application of glyphosate? Glyphosate used as a desiccant Glyphosate is being used as a desiccant on crops like wheat, barley, pulses, and oats (Fleury, 2017). Glyphosate isn’t actually…
Poison Squad set to determine acceptable limits for toxins in food If you’ve ever had the misfortune of eating something that results in food poisoning, then you know the agony that results. Curled up and shivering on the bathroom floor…
By: Baxter Watson, University of Saskatchewan Student The Issue There is no doubt that dicamba works to kill weeds, but policy changes restricting the use of the chemical could limit or even take it out of the hands of farmers.…
By: Justin Cay, University of Saskatchewan Student Canola is a large cash crop in Western Canada. While wheat and barley pay the bills, canola makes a profit. According to the Canola Council of Canada, canola contributes $26.7 billion to the Canadian…
United Nation’s Human Rights Council corrupted by environmental activists If you enjoy eating a broad palate of healthy, nutritious foods, then you can thank the contributions from agricultural chemicals. The use of chemicals in crop production allows farmers to produce…
By Kaytlin Robertson, University of Saskatchewan student Neonicotinoids are commonly used agricultural systemic pesticides typically applied to the seed and transferred through the vascular system to the rest of the plant, making all parts of it toxic to any insect that chews…
Is it safe to eat a crop that has been desiccated? As of October 17, nearly 81% of Saskatchewan’s crops were harvested (91% in Manitoba & 73% in Alberta). When compared to the 5 and 10-year rate of harvesting averages it…
Since the World Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) decision to classify five pesticides as carcinogenic (last week’s SAIFood blog believes this is an error) there has been a hubbub around pesticide use, particularly glyphosate (Roundup). One…
