Australia's pesticide regulator has banned the use of herbicide paraquat on sugarcane crops, giving growers a two-year phase-out period, after finding the chemical posed unacceptable risks to birds foraging in cane-growing areas. Sugarcane growers, particularly in Far North Queensland, dispute the regulator's findings and warn that switching away from paraquat could increase herbicide use and sediment runoff.
Australia's chemical regulator bans paraquat use on sugarcane, growers warn of worse environmental outcomes
Australia's pesticide regulator has banned the use of herbicide paraquat on sugarcane crops, giving growers a two-year phase-out period, after finding the chemical posed unacceptable risks to birds foraging in cane-growing areas. Sugarcane growers, particularly in Far North Queensland, dispute the regulator's findings and warn that switching away from paraquat could increase herbicide use and sediment runoff.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) published its review of paraquat and diquat in June, which significantly reduced permitted application rates in most broadacre crops. For sugarcane, the APVMA went further, finding that supported use patterns did not meet required environmental safety standards and therefore would not be retained on approved labels.
The APVMA said its review assessed each paraquat use pattern separately against current environmental safety standards and found an unacceptable risk to birds foraging in cane-growing areas, including acute and chronic exposure risks.
Paraquat is used early in sugarcane planting because it kills weeds quickly without lingering in soil, allowing young cane to establish. Growers using paraquat have also been able to adopt minimal-till farming systems, which reduce soil disturbance and limit runoff to the Great Barrier Reef, according to growers.
Under the new restrictions, sugarcane farmers may still use paraquat on fallow crops, headlands, and firebreaks within the same paddock, but not on the sugarcane crop itself. Sugar Research Australia is examining alternative herbicides, but Canegrowers chief executive Dan Galligan said there was no timeline for when a suitable alternative would be identified.
Paraquat has previously been linked to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. The APVMA's review found the evidence did not support a link between exposure through approved uses and the disease, a conclusion that Australia's peak body for Parkinson's disease disputes.
- The source does not state the name of Australia's peak body for Parkinson's disease or detail the specific basis for its dispute of the APVMA's finding.
- The source does not identify what alternative herbicides or weed management methods Sugar Research Australia is currently evaluating.
- The source does not state the volume or proportion of Australian sugarcane production that relies on paraquat.
- The source does not state the economic cost to growers of transitioning away from paraquat.
- The source does not provide the scientific evidence or methodology the APVMA used to establish risk to birds beyond a general statement about acute and chronic exposure.
- The source does not state whether state governments have announced any support measures for growers affected by the phase-out.
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