Gophers are now officially pests in Saskatchewan.
Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud announced last week the rodents have been declared pests under provincial legislation.
That means rural municipalities can now take action to control gophers through bylaws.
He said RMs needed more authority in the fight against Richardson’s ground squirrels.
“If 10 producers are trying to deal with the gopher problem but one producer can’t afford to or for whatever reason isn’t doing it, nobody wins in that situation,” Bjornerud said. “The RM has the ability to bring in a bylaw and deal with the situation on land that needs to be addressed.”
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities asked for the declaration at its midterm convention last fall.
Bjornerud also announced the extension of the gopher control rebate program, which was first introduced in October 2008. It pays a 50 percent rebate to producers and RMs for the cost of control products.
