The Saskatchewan and Alberta governments says they are disappointed by a decision from federal health regulators against using a pesticide to manage agricultural damage from the Richardson’s ground squirrel.
Health Canada’s pest management regulatory agency rejected the emergency use request for two per cent liquid strychnine on the ground squirrel — more commonly called a “gopher” or a “prairie dog” — for the 2026 growing season.
Strychnine is a restricted animal toxicant (poison) that is highly toxic to rodents and causing rapid death via convulsions.
Farmers have said the gopher population has surged across the Prairies and the burrowing rodents wreak havoc on crops and farmland.
Saskatchewan, alongside Alberta, submitted the request on Oct. 1, 2025 due to “continued concerns” from producers and industry stakeholders on the efficacy of currently registered alternatives on farms.
“Saskatchewan producers have been clear about the challenges they face in managing Richardson’s ground squirrels with the limited tools available,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said.
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“We need a federal regulatory system that considers economic impacts felt by producers and the realities on the ground.”
The government said its request included “robust, science-based and strengthened mitigation measures” such as narrower application windows for the pesticide, training, reporting and improved stewardship to reduce risks to non-target species while preserving the product value for producers.
However, the Saskatchewan government said the agency found these measures were not sufficient to mitigate risk to an acceptable level.
The province said it is pivoting efforts to support pest management for Richardson’s ground squirrels to a strategy that will focus on continued advocacy, support programs, targeted extension efforts to improve on-farm performance of registered alternatives, and investments in research.
Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation RJ Sigurdson echoed his Saskatchewan counterpart, on Monday night saying he’s deeply disappointed and is asking the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to reconsider the decision.
“Alberta’s producers are facing significant challenges when managing Richardson’s ground squirrels (RGS) and the loss of this effective control method is devastating for many across the agriculture sector.”
Alberta said the annual risk to hay and native pastures exceeds $800 million and the risk of the exploding gopher population is detrimental to farms and ranches across the country.
Sigurdson said the downstream effect will also contribute to the ongoing food affordability issues Canadians are facing.
“Farmers are already excellent stewards of the land.
“Alberta and Saskatchewan proposed thoughtful and meaningful measures to reduce risks for other species while ensuring landowners could protect their crops, livestock and livelihoods from the significant operational and economic impacts of this pest.”
Alberta and Saskatchewan representatives met with PMRA to emphasize the crucial need for strychnine as a pest control measure and address technical questions around risk mitigation, Sigurdson said in his statement, and urged the agency to reconsider and reinstate the use of strychnine.
Health Canada banned the poison two years ago, arguing it created environmental hazards to other wildlife that were found to have the substance in their system.
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