(FILE PHOTO: Wild parsnip growing along the ditch on Huntley Road south of Stittsville. Photo by Barry Gray.)
From CBC Ottawa:
Organic farmers near the Ottawa community of Stittsville say they’ve had to destroy portions of their crops because the city botched its notification process for spraying herbicides to kill wild parsnip.
Wild parsnip — officially labelled a noxious weed in Ontario last year — has become a concern because the plant’s toxic sap can cause skin rashes. The weed also wipes out other species, including flowering plant species that attract bees.
The city sent certified organic farmer Dick Coote of Littledown Farms a notice in the mail saying he could opt out of herbicide spraying along his fields on Mansfield Road. The notice said the city would put up signs in advance in areas it planned to spray to give Coote time to opt out.
But the signs never appeared, he said.