Gopher Numbers Surge as Ottawa Rejects Emergency Strychnine Request; Local Farmer Weighs In
- Gull Lake Events
- 21 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Producers across the Prairies are bracing for another challenging season after Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) denied Saskatchewan and Alberta’s joint request for limited emergency use of 2% liquid strychnine to help control Richardson’s ground squirrels in 2026.
The decision comes amid reports from many farmers about rapidly growing gopher populations and mounting crop and livestock losses. Don Connick, who farms near Gull Lake, described fields last summer that “looked like they had been shelled.” He says populations have reached “epidemic proportions” in parts of southwestern Saskatchewan, with livestock injuries and damaged cropland becoming increasingly common.
Saskatchewan’s government echoed these concerns in a statement Friday, noting producers have been clear about the limited effectiveness of currently available tools. The province says its emergency-use proposal included strengthened safeguards—narrower application windows, mandatory training, enhanced reporting, and improved stewardship — but PMRA concluded the measures still didn’t reduce risks to species at risk to an acceptable level.
With strychnine off the table for 2026, Saskatchewan plans to shift toward a broader Richardson’s ground squirrel management strategy. That work will focus on continued federal advocacy, support through the Gopher Control Program administered by SARM, targeted extension efforts to improve the performance of registered alternatives, and new research into best practices, environmental risk mitigation, population monitoring, and predictive modelling.
Connick says he had hoped for a different outcome but understands the need for balance. He has used other products and on‑farm methods to manage gophers and wishes a more effective alternative existed. “I’m not a big fan of putting out poisons like strychnine,” he told the reporter. “I just wish there was a viable alternative.”
Local producers will be watching closely as spring approaches and the province rolls out its updated management strategy.
Gull Lake Events
Reporting via Town & Country Today.com / The Canadian Press, with additional information from the Government of Saskatchewan.
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