The NSW Government has been criticised for inaction regarding the herbicide paraquat after a review by the Australian Poisons and Veterinary Medicines Authority closed on Tuesday, October 29.
State Greens MP Sue Higginson said she was disappointed with the NSW government’s ‘absurd’ reluctance to push for federal limitations on the chemical’s use.
Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson's disease, prompting Parkinson's Australia to call for a ban on the chemical.
“I asked the Minister for Agriculture (Tara Moriarty) in Parliament what she is doing to help regional communities and the environment to reduce the use of this chemical,” Ms Higginson said.
“I did not expect the answer I received — she is doing nothing, when it is the NSW Government that regulates the use of chemicals in NSW.”
Ms Higginson said some studies suggest individuals exposed to the chemical were 2.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease and that it can cause severe lung damage if inhaled and be fatal if ingested.
A statement from Australian paraquat manufacturer Syngenta said the company cared ‘deeply’ about the health and wellbeing of farmers and that recent media reports were erroneous in the face of a scientific consensus.
“Syngenta affirms that the herbicide is safe when used as directed, and that the scientific evidence simply does not support a causal link between paraquat herbicide and Parkinson’s disease,” the spokesperson said.
“The hypothesis that paraquat causes Parkinson’s is not accepted in the medical community or peer-reviewed science, nor has it been accepted at any time in the past.”
A study published by UK scientists in Nature in 2010, found that only high exposure to paraquat could cause Parkinson’s disease, with suitable user-protection resulting in no link.
A further study by Douglas Weed published in September, 2024 in the journal Medical Research Archives reviewed 21 more recent papers, all of which found ‘no association’ between paraquat exposure and Parkinson’s.
The APVMA has allowed the chemical's use while under review since 1997, and in a 2024 technical report, outlined the ‘supported’ status for five weed control scenarios in temperate farmland.
Another 58 uses were not supported in the report.
A spokesperson from the regulatory body said a final report from the recently closed review was expected in mid-2025.
Paraquat is often used in response to glyphosate resistance in weeds and is popular with dryland croppers for weed control.
APVMA CEO Scott Hansen said the regulator received submissions from across industry, community, medical and public health sectors.
“We recognise that there is heightened interest in paraquat,” Mr Hansen said.
“The APVMA is committed to completing a rigorous scientific assessment and will take the necessary time to consider all the evidence.
“However, we take human health risks seriously, and should new evidence emerge out of this consultation process that shows an imminent risk to human health, then we have the power to take quick action.”
For further information, visit: https://www.apvma.gov.au/
Supported boomspray use of Paraquat at a cumulative rate of 231 g ac/ha
• Crop, pasture or fallow — autumn or winter only
• Rice — autumn or winter only
• Prior to establishment of winter crops — canola, wheat, barley, oats, rye, field peas, lupins and pastures with sub-clover and medicago.
• Legumes (at 149 g ac/ha)
• Seedlings of annual ryegrass, barley grass, brome grass, volunteer cereals and wild oats (at 175 g ac/ha).
Source: APVMA