Members of Chatham-Kent's agricultural sector say the banning of neonics would be detrimental to Ontario's food supply.
Local farmers and members of provincial parliament gathered for a roundtable discussion regarding reports that link these pesticides with decreasing bee populations.
Pride Seeds' Stephen Denys says part of the problem has been a disconnect between farmers and those living in urban centres. "Since we're only one or two percent of the population now, the reality is that we don't have a strong voice and we haven't been very effective in communicating how good we are at what we do."
Denys adds without pesticides like neonics, Ontario's farmers could fall behind competition."The technologies that we've used have allowed us to progress," says Denys. "We're better stewards of the environment, we're producing a safer food supply than we were 30-40 years ago. What this government is proposing is going to take us backwards."