Herbicides

We want to stop the spraying of glyphosate in New Brunswick.

Spraying herbicides accelerates the collapse of biodiversity in our forests.

It's time to stop spraying N.B.'s Crown forest

Forestry companies spray clearcut areas with herbicides to kill hardwoods and vegetation that compete with the spruce, fir and pine they grow in plantations.

Approximately 15,000 hectares of public, Crown forest is sprayed each year, beginning in August and continued through September.  Glyphosate, the main active ingredient in most herbicides used in New Brunswick Crown forest operations, is a controversial chemical known to affect beneficial insects, bird populations and Freshwater ecosystems, thereby affecting other wildlife that is dependent on these food and shelter sources.  Over 35,0000 New Brunswickers want Glyphosate out of their food, water, and first and foremost their Forests. 

Below, learn more about our campaign to end herbicide spraying in the Crown forest, what’s wrong with spraying herbicides, and how you can help bring an end to this old-fashioned, citizen-funded practice. 

The northern flying squirrel's habitat is threatened by clearcutting and glyphosate spraying.

2023 Update: Herbicide Spraying in New Brunswick

Every year starting in August and continuing through September, companies spray large swaths of clear cuts with products containing glyphosate. These herbicides being sprayed in N.B.’s Crown forest are a symptom of a larger problem—an old-fashioned management regime that sees corporate profits and timber supply trump human safety and the environment.

In January 2023, Health Canada renewed its registration for glyphosate-based herbicides for five additional years, despite being required to conduct a rigorous scientific assessment of glyphosate. Environmental and food advocacy groups responded to this decision by taking Health Canada to court for failing to conduct a thorough assessment.

Although Health Canada asserts that glyphosate is not a cancer risk at the levels humans are currently exposed, environmental groups say Health Canada’s findings are based on outdated evidence from 2017. They also argue that at the current speed that Health Canada updates their science, it could be another 20 to 30 years before Canada updates the threats on each pesticide, meaning glyphosate may not be investigated again until 2030

Despite Health Canada’s approval, the Government of New Brunswick’s decision to continue using glyphosate-based herbicide in its Crown forestry management fails to properly address the harm that glyphosate does to the biological diversity of our Crown forests. This includes the harm done to our bird and wildlife populations, beneficial insects, soil creatures, aquatic species, and our forests’ ability to withstand and recover from fire events. 

With New Brunswick having the highest rate of glyphosate use in forestry by land mass and its use of glyphosate on Crown land only expected to increase, the associated environmental dangers will only continue to intensify.

Over 35,000 New Brunswickers want glyphosate out of their forests, yet the provincial government continues to insist that glyphosate is the only option. We know this isn’t the case, however, because Quebec banned glyphosate on its Crown forests in 2001 and maintains a productive forestry industry, with thinning crews doing the job herbicides once did.

Now is the time for the provincial government to take a progressive stance and prioritize the preservation of our precious Crown forests and the well-being of its people. By following Quebec’s example and exploring alternative approaches, we can strike a balance between economic prosperity and environmental responsibility.

Use our letter-writing tool to tell your MLA, the provincial government, and all party leaders to ban the spraying of our forest. Our pre-written letter will get you started, but we encourage you to add your comments on spraying and large-scale clearcutting and how it has affected you.

 

Standing Committee Examines Glyphosate Use In New Brunswick

The Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship heard from experts on the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in New Brunswick in June and September 2021MLAs on the committee heard presentations from environmental groups, including the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, scientists, citizens groups, representatives from the agriculture and forestry sectors, and Steve Ginnish, director of forestry and natural resources with the Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn.

Watch videos from the hearings and access the written submissions from those who appeared before the committee:

What's the problem with spraying herbicides containing glyphosate?

What’s the problem with spraying herbicides containing glyphosate?

The Conservation Council has long advocated that the province stop the old-fashioned, citizen-funded practice of spraying the forest. Quebec banned the spraying of its public forest more than two decades ago.

In 2016, New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health’s Action Plan on Glyphosate found that New Brunswick uses more glyphosate per hectare of harvested forest than any province in Canada.

Bayer, the company that now produces glyphosate, has been ordered to pay millions in damages to cancer victims who were exposed to its products. In June 2022, the US Supreme Court refused to hear two appeals from the company trying to get out of paying.

Meanwhile, also in June 2022, a California appeals court ordered the US Environmental Protection Agency to review its 2019 glyphosate re-authorization, saying the agency did not adequately consider the human health and ecological risks associated with its use.

The same thing happened here in Canada in February 2022, when the Federal Court of Appeal sent Health Canada back to the drawing board on its 2017 glyphosate renewal, and gave the department strongly-worded direction on how to conduct a proper review to avoid “the endless merry-go-round” of court applications.

Conservationists, biologists and hunters are worried that clearcutting and spraying is wiping out the food and habitats of our forest wildlife. The concern among New Brunswickers is so widespread more than 35,000 people signed a petition to end the old-fashioned practice, organized by Stop Spraying New Brunswick with support from the Conservation Council. Since 2017, more than 6,000 New Brunswickers have used our letter-writing tool to call on their MLA and the provincial government to ban the spraying our forest with herbicides.

Let’s take the herbicides out of the woods and put more people to work in 21st century  ecological forestry and silviculture practices that conserve and restore a healthy, resilient and diverse Acadian forest!

Will you help us continue our work for ecological forestry in New Brunswick?

Will you help us continue our work for ecological forestry in New Brunswick?

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