Emergency use of strychnine for the 2026 growing season has been denied by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA).
“I am deeply disappointed that the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency has rejected Alberta and Saskatchewan’s emergency use registration,” RJ Sigurdson, Alberta’s agriculture minister, said in a statement.
“We urge the PMRA to reconsider this decision and immediately reinstate the use of strychnine as a practical solution for our farmers and ranchers.”
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On Oct. 1, 2025, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation partnered with Saskatchewan Agriculture to submit an emergency use request for two per cent liquid strychnine for management of Richardson’s ground squirrels.
The rodent has been growing in population for the past few years and has shown no sign of slowing down.
“Alberta’s producers are facing significant challenges when managing Richardson’s ground squirrels (RGS) and the loss of this effective control method is devastating for many across the agriculture sector,” Sigurdson added.
David Marit, Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister, said he was also “extremely disappointed” by the decision and urged PMRA to reconsider.
“We need a federal regulatory system that considers economic impacts felt by producers and the realities on the ground,” he said in a news release.
The submission was a response to concerns from producers and industry about the on-farm efficacy of other registered products for the control of the pest, following the ban of strychnine in March 2023.
Heath MacDonald, federal agriculture minister, had made a verbal promise to the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities in October to support any emergency use applications. However, PMRA is not under the jurisdiction of the agriculture ministry.
Sigurdson said representatives from both provinces met with PMRA throughout the review process “to emphasize the crucial need for strychnine as a pest control measure and address technical questions around risk mitigation.”
However, the PMRA said the methods used to prove necessity of strychnine were insufficient to mitigate an acceptable level of risk, which prompted the denial of emergency use.
