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Health Canada maintains ban on strychnine despite Prairie push to fight gophers

Health Canada says it will not reverse its ban on strychnine, maintaining that environmental and human health risks outweigh concerns raised by Prairie governments and farm groups. The federal department confirmed it reviewed requests from Alberta and Saskatchewan to reconsider the use of the rodent poison to control gopher populations that farmers say are damaging crops and pastureland. Health Canada concluded the risks associated with strychnine remain too significant to justify its use. Strychnine has been prohibited for most pest control uses because of its high toxicity and the risk it po...