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The Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release (OKSIR) Program was recently awarded an international award, and on Friday those awards were presented.
The program has won a prestigious Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Award, which was awarded at the 8th International IPM Symposium in March. The OKSIR program was nominated by the national Pesticide Risk Reduction Program, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in Ottawa.
Minister Norm Letnick looking at codling moths (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
On Friday, those who worked so tirelessly to create and implement the program were honoured with the awards in Kelowna. Kelowna Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick and Kelowna MP Ron Cannan were just a couple of the dignitaries in attendance for the award ceremony. Cannan expressed his gratitude to those who have been instrumental in the program’s success.
“An award of this magnitude should be something that we all should be proud of, that patience, perseverance and partnerships of all levels of government working together,” said Cannan. “We all want to have healthy communities but there is also the issue of food sustainability and supply from not only Canada but all over the world.”
OKSIR staff, representatives and winners of the awards (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
The OKSIR program is based on research performed out of the Pacific Agri-food Research Centre in Summerland. The program was started in the 1970s and the four regional districts in the Interior are the owners of the OKSIR Program.
The program has reduced the amount of pesticides used against codling moth and has seen a reduction of 96 per cent. Many orchardists in the valley have not had to spray their trees for codling moth for the last 15 years.
The international award was given to each program involved (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
In the spring and summer OKSIR staff spends time releasing sterile codling moths in apple and pear orchards. These moths attract and mate with other moths, but do not produce healthy eggs. The result is fruit that is not damaged, chemical sprays not used in orchards, and millions of dollars saved every single year.
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