Photo: SWF
Health Canada, which overseas the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), gave its approval to a revised request from the Governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The PMRA rejected a request from the two provinces earlier this year—saying it was concerned about potential negative impacts on other wildlife. However, a revised request was given the go-ahead after it included additional stewardship measures and environmental safeguards to support responsible use.
Approximately 120 rural municipalities in Saskatchewan have been granted the Emergency Use Registration. These areas were identified using Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation claims data and information related to species at risk presence. The additional measure include increased monitoring and carcass collection and disposal requirements and enhance mandatory training.
“Saskatchewan producers have been clear about the challenges they face in managing gophers with the limited tools currently available,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “We are pleased to see the emergency use request granted as a practical opportunity for producers to demonstrate how strychnine can help protect their crops and pastures from continued damage. We hope to see strychnine reinstated permanently in the future as a tool producers can use to manage gophers.”
There are 15 rural municipalities in the CJWW listening area that are included in the strychnine emergency area. These include 405 Great Bend, 406 Mayfield, 434 Blaine Lake, 435 Redberry, 436, Douglas, 463 Duck Lake, 464 Leask, 466 Meeting Lake, 467 Round Hill, 493 Shellbrook, 494 Canwood, 495 Shell Lake, 496 Spiritwood, 497 Medstead and 555 Big River.
The announcement is being welcomed by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, APAS and various producer organizations. Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit released an additional statement last Tuesday afternoon. You can read it underneath the Strychnine Emergency Registration use area maps below.
I am pleased with the Government of Canada and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA) decision to grant the revised Emergency Use Registration for strychnine in Alberta and Saskatchewan until November 2027. After PMRA’s decision to reject Saskatchewan and Alberta’s first joint emergency use registration request in February, the revised request was submitted last week to PMRA following close collaboration between both provinces and the federal government. The revised request included a limited geographic range and product use restrictions aimed to reduce risks to non-target animals. Additional restrictions are now also required to protect species at risk, including narrower application windows restricted to spring and late summer application, mandatory training on pesticide safety and strychnine use, and increased record management requirements.
This Emergency Use Registration provides producers in some areas of the province access to strychnine as an additional pest management tool. I recognize that not all areas of Saskatchewan with Richardson’s ground squirrel concerns will have access to strychnine under this Emergency Use Registration. In these areas, the province will continue to support Richardson’s ground squirrel management through extension efforts, the Gopher Control Program to offset the cost of registered strychnine alternatives and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation programs.
The Ministry of Agriculture is working on the development of a strychnine stewardship program, which includes a mandatory training program and a documentation process for producers to obtain strychnine. It is expected that mandatory training will be available to rural municipalities and producers in late spring 2026. Under the approved Emergency Use Registration, in 2026, strychnine can be applied in the late summer (July 15 – September 1), and in 2027, applications can be made in spring from March 1 to June 15 before green up and late summer from July 15 to September 1 following the dry down of plant material.
I hope this is a step towards the PMRA reinstating strychnine permanently, and across the whole province, in the future.
As the programs details are still being sorted out, I will hold a media event in the future once I have additional information.
David Marit, Minister of Agriculture
