Ban toxic farm chemicals

Ban toxic farm chemicals

It has now become clear that the Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry plans to ignore all the information and public alarm regarding the impact of extremely toxic farm chemicals, in particular paraquat and chlorpyrifos as well as glyphosate and renew the import licences for those chemicals instead of scrapping them when they expire next year.

In a media interview, a source at the Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives Ministry said this week there was a possibility the state might not impose a ban but choose "to limit use or impose stricter regulations" on these herbicides.

Such a stance, while upsetting, hardly comes as a surprise to anyone.

For some time the Agriculture Ministry has been at odds with the Public Health Ministry, which in its capacity as a member of the national committee overseeing the use and impact of toxic chemicals, sees a dire need to ban them. The Health Ministry, joining forces with civic groups and consumer protection activists, has stepped up its calls for a ban on the import of paraquat, a very popular herbicide known under the commercial name Gramoxone.

The Health Ministry led by Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn also called for measures to curb the impact of two other chemicals, namely glyphosate (marketed as Roundup) and chlorpyrifos, prohibiting the use of them in areas near water sources. The health minister deserves credit for such a bold stance, not to mention his determination.

The country imports an enormous amount of paraquat every year. But in a twist, fears of a ban becoming effective soon resulted in a sharp increase in paraquat imports to about 44,501 tonnes last year, compared to 31,525 and 30,441 tonnes in 2016 and 2015 respectively. According to a report by Prachachart Online, retail prices of paraquat are also up by 20-30%.

The Agriculture Ministry, in a show of support for the continued use of paraquat, has defiantly played down health warnings, saying a ban would lead to a 40-billion-baht loss for the farming sector. They claim the chemicals help reduce the use of farm labourers, meaning lower production costs.

A dubious claim also emerged from an official at the Agriculture Department who expressed worry that issuing the ban may cause legal difficulties because farm chemical producers may decide to sue the government.

The ministry appears to have ignored the fact that 53 countries have imposed a ban on paraquat over fears about its long-term impact. Local research studies suggest paraquat residues collect in the environment, while paraquat can also be transferred from a pregnant woman to her baby in the womb through the umbilical cord. Misuse of these chemicals also sees many farmers unknowingly mix the different types in dangerous cocktails, making things worse. The impact has cost the country billions of baht in healthcare expenses.

As pressure has heightened, the Agriculture Ministry in a rather odd response claimed in September last year it had "no knowledge about the impact of those toxic chemicals", but that it would rather place the issue in the care of the hazardous chemical committee, which is chaired by the permanent secretary of the Industry Ministry.

The committee is scheduled to decide next Wednesday whether to reclassify all three of the herbicides and ban them. One major concern about this panel is that representatives of farm chemical giants sit on it and they may influence the decision in such a way as to make the proposed ban never become a reality.

Given the research results, the hazardous impact of paraquat and other chemicals is not fiction. At the same time, a suggestion by the the Agriculture Department for limits on the use or imposition of stricter regulations against these chemicals are too complicated and will never be possible in practice.

If a ban is not imposed, loopholes avoiding stricter regulations will always be present and the danger of toxic farm chemicals will continue to haunt the country which is striving to become the kitchen of the world.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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