FINANCIAL AND HEALTH COSTS OF PESTICIDE USE IN GROWING CONVENTIONAL AND GENETICALLY MODIFIED POTATOES IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

The majority of potato farming in Canada occurs in tightly clustered geographic locations and requires substantial chemical inputs. The possibility of pesticide drift, pesticide residues on food and the effect of pesticides on the environment, leads to interest in quantifying the different effects that pesticides may have on human health and the environment. This study focuses on the potential use of genetically modified potatoes, the associated issue of pesticide residues in the air, and the potential impact of this on the health of farmers, their families, and others in the context of Prince Edward Island. Reductions in costs of potato farming and reduced health costs that may be associated with lower pesticide applications in growing genetically engineered potatoes (NewLeaf, NewLeaf Plus and NewLeaf Pro potatoes, each genetically modified for particular traits), relative to conventional potato growing practices in Prince Edward Island are identified and quantified. It is concluded that the financial benefits from the use of fewer inputs with the modified potatoes are significant while the health benefits associated with reduced exposure to pesticides are relatively small.