Letters: Farmers need to have a set of work standards too

Dear Editor:
An incident occurred last week at the Vauxhall Golf Club that needs to be discussed.
Tuesday night is Ladies’ League and there were approximately 40 ladies on the course on May 26. The wind was blowing at 39 km/h (Environment Canada, Vauxhall Research Station stats) out of the west. Around 7:30 p.m. a high clearance sprayer pulled into the field adjacent to the golf course and started spraying. Within minutes, the wind had carried the potentially hazardous spray directly over the north half of the golf course, enveloping the golfers. As a result, the golfers who were directly in the path of the chemical drift, suffered headaches, breathing difficulties and nausea.
Do farmers need to be responsible for the health and safety of others, when they are applying chemicals? When is it too windy to spray? Would waiting an hour or calling the clubhouse have prevented this incident? Should farmers be required to hold a Pesticide Applicator’s license to avoid this type of incident in the future? Or can farmers and other residents in this community continue to live together harmoniously because of good communication and common sense? Some things to ponder.
CAROL JONES

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