Dad used to say, “Any day that you don’t learn something, is a lost day!” I’ve had many of those days too. As the health care industry became one of the largest industries in the world, we began to ask ourselves “why?” Yes, we expect to live longer than our grandparents, but at what cost? We have also heard rumors of leaked information about some multi-million dollar payouts that some giant pharmaceutical companies have paid out to some of the users or some very common chemicals because of the lack of information or training about the possible dangers of contact or unprotected use of some of those chemicals. Some farmers, chemical applicators, golf courses, and even homeowners use those chemicals to control those pesky weeds and grasses yearly, monthly, or even weekly. Residues from spraying can fall onto the soil, remain in the soil for who knows how long, get into ground water, streams, rivers, lakes, and eventually the ocean. Some residue also remains on the crop being sprayed or in the grain grown with that crop. Human effects can be as simple as an upset tummy or as serious as cancer or some digestive disorders. That’s where the public health-care cost comes in. 

Countries that provide public health-care and communist countries who also provide public health-care have been the first to notice and take action. Some of the chemical and or pharmaceutical companies that invented or purchased the chemical were given a patent and also given control over any tests, or trials that were carried out on the chemical, the crop sprayed with the chemical, the results from using that crop (animal feed, and human food) and all results published about the trial that was done. I wonder if any “negative” findings were ever published? I doubt that all communist countries respect all those patent rights. Some of those communist countries and some democratic countries have banned the use of some of those chemicals and any grain that was grown using those chemicals. During the past few years you may have noticed some trade barriers that were imposed on some countries. You may also have noticed a retaliatory trade action taken by that country that cut off imports of certain grains. You may also have noticed that the grains or products made from those grains were ones that were GMO or were sprayed with one of those chemicals that were banned. 

The patent on certain chemicals have a life span of only a few years. The chemical companies make changes to their chemical every few years to improve the efficiency of the chemical and also extend the patent on that newly released and improved version. Before any new chemical can be released, it has to be approved by various health and safety government agencies. Recently, our federal government agencies have been slower to approve some of those new improved chemicals because of new evidence that has arisen about the safety of one of the key ingredients in that new chemical. In the U.S., it has been rumoured that there existed a revolving door policy where both former chemical company and former government employees were regularly exchanging jobs so each one understood the other better. Even though we suspect some extensive lobbying by some companies, there has been no revolving door policy noticed in Canada yet. Unfortunately, neither our consumer protection group nor our health and safety group seems to have the lobbying budget that either chemical or pharmaceutical lobbyists do. 

There is lots of fear mongering by both chemical companies and some farm groups, saying that without those chemicals, the world might starve. It has been proven that the world’s most productive countries do not use either GMOs or those most dangerous chemicals. Even in this year 2025, only 60 per cent of our food produced gets eaten. The rest either doesn’t get to market because it doesn’t look perfect, or it is thrown out just not eaten. 

Some of our global grain traders have quietly been paying a bonus for grain not sprayed with one of those questionable chemicals before harvest. There are several other countries that produce grains not sprayed with those chemicals at a price very comparable to what farmers receive in Canada. Hence, the backroom battle goes on between our health and safety lobbyists and the chemical producers and even some farmers’ groups that side with the chemical groups. The chemical groups have been working overtime to come out with a new safer chemical to replace some more dangerous chemicals. There is a growing world market for safer food grade grains and products made from them. Which country will be first? Let your MPs know how you feel!

Chris Judd is a farmer in Clarendon on land that has been in his family for generations