It's another victory for farm chemical giants and a group of state officials who support the use of three extremely toxic substances -- namely paraquat, chlorpyrifos, and glyphosate -- as the National Committee on Hazardous Substances (NCHS) backtracked on its decision to ban the three chemicals.
Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit -- who chaired the NCHS meeting on Wednesday -- decided to revoke the ban on glyphosate, which was initially set to come into force on Dec 1. Instead, he placed restrictions on the use of this chemical. He also postponed the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos for another six months or to June 1 next year and assigned the Department of Agriculture to find suitable alternatives to the toxic chemicals.
The decision was made amid pressure from farmers who demonstrated against the ban, arguing that the ban would increase the cost of production. They even called for the resignation of Deputy Agriculture Minister Mananya Thaiset of Bhumjaithai Party, who bravely pushed for the ban amid resistance from state officials in related agencies -- especially those from the Department of Agriculture, many of whom are are at odds with their counterparts from the Public Health Ministry and other independent agencies, such as the Office of Ombudsman.
The U-turn on the ban attests to the fact that once again, powerful farm chemical giants are over the state mandarins, as well as politicians. It also speaks volumes about the ignorance on the part of our farmers, who choose to put money before their health and the environment. They staunchly defied study results which showed how residues from the toxic chemicals could enter our food chains and into our digestive systems, and how such residues could be passed on from mothers to infants. The Public Health Ministry said there are at least 6,000 reported cases which have been linked to the use of these toxic chemicals, with some mortality.
There is no guarantee that the committee will not postpone the ban again after six months.
In fact, Wednesday's U-turn came as no surprise to many, given the reactions from state agencies regarding the Oct 22 ban. Not only did they drag their feet, they also applied every known tactics in the books to shoot it down. Following the announcement on Oct 22, instead of rolling out an alternative plan for green farming, the Department of Agriculture busied itself with online questionnaires which gave proponents of the chemicals another chance to demand for the reversal of the ban. The majority of the public were largely unaware of the process -- which some elements have shamelessly referred to as "public hearing" despite their discreet way of going about it.
As a result, over 70% or around 40,000 respondents voiced opposition to the ban. The figures gave proponents of the chemicals an excuse to push for delaying the ban as the Suriya committee finally did.
There is still a long way to go before the three toxic chemicals are completely banned. Now, all agencies which want to free Thailand from the grip of chemical agrogiants must work harder by sending in a petition to the anti-graft agency and also the Administrative Court. They must roll the sleeves to put those supporting the chemicals to task, and ensure that there will be no more foul plays so the ban could finally come into effect.