Denmark considers pesticide quotas

The Minister of the Environment informed the parliament's environmental committee that she is ready to impose fees and quotas on the use of pesticides if farmers are unable to cut back on their own.

'If we don't see significantly less use in the 2006 numbers, I and the other parties that support the plan will take it up with renewed interest,' she said.

Unfortunately for Canadians, this Minister of Environment is a member of the Danish Parliament. Nothing remotely resembling this statement has been made by the Canadian Minister of Environment.

The Danish minister's comments came after a report which showed farmers' use of pesticides was on the increase. The rise runs contrary to the government's plan to drastically reduce pesticide use by 2009. The Danish government is also implementing an information campaign named 'New cultivation goals' in order to convince farmers that using fewer chemicals can be profitable.