Some American politicians want legislation to close the gap between the pesticide prices paid by farmers in the United States versus those in Canada.
Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota is hoping to get the pesticide price standardization bill passed by the end of this year.
To back that effort, he is citing a North Dakota University study done in 2002.
It showed farmers in that state paid $20 million more for pesticides than they would have for similar chemicals in Canada.
“Canadian farmers have an unfair product advantage,” said Barry Piatt, communications director for the senator.
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“We’re at a loss to explain why chemical companies charge American farmers so much more.”
The legislation sought by Dorgan would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to register Canadian pesticides that are identical to American pesticides now in use.
The idea is that American producers could buy and import those products from Canada. Supporters of Dorgan’s legislation believe the change would force pesticide makers in the U.S. to bring their prices in line with those in Canada.
North Dakota agriculture commissioner Roger Johnson is in favour of the bill, although he wants changes made to give it even greater effect. He suggested an amendment last week that would allow pesticides to be jointly labelled for both Canadian and American farmers if they were essentially the same product.
“If a pesticide is available in both countries, it should be jointly labelled so it can move back and forth.”
Johnson said pesticide manufacturers claim they have to charge more in the U.S. because of higher regulatory costs. But he calls that a “very, very hollow argument.”
The disparity between pesticide prices in Canada and the U.S. has been declining over the past decade, said Johnson.
He noted the additional net cost to North Dakota growers is now about half of the $20 million cited in the university study two years ago.
Johnson suggested the price disparity not only affects American growers. Depending on the chemicals, he said there also are times when growers in Canada pay more for a pesticide than their American counterparts.
The effort by people like Dorgan to implement a pesticide price standardization bill has been going on for years.
Johnson said there does not seem to be a strong will by federal legislators to see the proposed bill go through.
“The chances are not very good, frankly. I just don’t see a big desire from the party in charge to go down this road.”
