Video: Are pesticides harmful or bad for biodiversity? Challenging 5 widely-held myths

Credit: Jetsandzeppelins/Flickr
Credit: Jetsandzeppelins/Flickr

Below, you will find five of the most common myths about pesticides, and the truth about them.

MYTH: Pesticides are unnecessary.

FACT: Farmers contend with 30,000 different weeds, 10,000 insects, and 3,000 diseases. Pesticides help them protect their crops and our food

MYTH: Pesticides are not safe.

FACT: Health Canada regulates organic and conventional pesticides to ensure they are safe for people and the environment. 

MYTH: Pesticides are bad for biodiversity.

FACT: Without pesticides and biotech crops, farmers would need almost 44 per cent more land to grow the same amount of food, threatening valuable wildlife habitats. 

MYTH: Pesticides benefit farmers but not consumers. 

FACT: Pesticides help keep food affordable for Canadians. Without pesticides and biotech crops, an average Canadian family would pay up to $4,500 more for food per year

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MYTH: Pesticide residues on food are harmful.

FACT: Tiny amounts of pesticide residues that may be on some foods do not pose a safety risk. A consumer would have to eat 28,000 strawberries every day for a lifetime to have any adverse effects from pesticides.

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Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?

In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring drew attention to pesticides and their possible dangers to humans, birds, mammals and the ...
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