Ruling on 3 farm chemicals edges closer

Ruling on 3 farm chemicals edges closer

A suggestion to ban paraquat and put glyphosate and chlorpyrifos under restricted use will be forwarded to the national committee on hazardous substances so it can have a final say on the future use of these hazardous yet widely used chemicals in the farm sector.

The committee is due to announce its decision on Valentine's Day, said PM's Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhan. The proposal is based a recent academic study by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), Mr Suwaphan said. He was speaking in his capacity as chair of the ad hoc panel.

The study, commissioned by the committee that was formed last July, championed a ban of paraquat and restrictions on the other two substances.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered the creation of the committee to come up with policy recommendations for the three chemical substances. It convened yesterday and each member submitted their opinion on the matter.

"We have done our job in forwarding the study's conclusion to the committee. We have no authority over this case," said Mr Suwaphan.

Prokchon Usap, a representative of Thai-Pan Coordinator, said that it was possible all three chemicals could be banned.

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