Report by Syngenta on the importance of Paraquat in Australia
SYNGENTA
has commissioned a report into the economic benefits of the use of the
herbicide Paraquat, valuing the product's worth to the Australian agriculture
sector at $1.3 billion.
The
company, which distributes Paraquat under the trade names Gramoxone and Spray
Seed, enlisted analysts Deloitte Access Economics to compile the report.
Findings
from the report were handed down at an event in Canberra, attended by MPs last
week.
Syngenta
specialty crops manager Sam Hole said the decision to put the report out was
designed as a positive step to highlight Paraquat's contribution to agriculture
and the impact of deregistering the product.
The
herbicide has a controversial past, because of its high toxicity to humans in
its concentrated form and because of its close relationship to the deadly
chemical weapon Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War.
However,
Mr Hole said, like all agricultural chemicals it was safe when used according
to the label.
"We're
really comfortable with the product, it is under continued rigorous scrutiny by
the chemical regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines
Authority (APVMA), which is regarded worldwide as a science-based organization,
and it has not found anything adverse in its usage," Mr Hole said.
Mr
Hole said Paraquat was used in over 100 countries across the globe, including
New Zealand, Japan and the US.
It
is currently banned in Europe, but he accused lobbyists of running an emotive campaign
to stop its usage there.
Paraquat
plays a critical role in Australian cropping as the only viable break to
glyphosate in terms of a pre-cropping knockdown.
Should
it be banned, without a differing mode of action, authorities say weeds would
quickly become resistant to glyphosate in no-till cropping systems.
Mr
Hole also said the use of Paraquat was a win for the environment due to its
properties.
"Paraquat
deactivates in the soil, so there is no leaching and no run-off into
waterways," he said.
However,
not everyone is so enamoured with the product.
Scott
Kinnear, director of the Safe Food Foundation said Paraquat's impact on human
health had not been studied sufficiently.
"There
are some real concerns over its impact on health, not only to consumers but to
those putting the chemical out," Mr Kinnear said.
"The
APVMA terms of reference are too narrow, what we are seeing from studies across
the world is that this is a dangerous product."
Mr
Hole acknowledged Paraquat was poisonous to humans, but said this was in line
with many other chemicals used in agriculture and in broader industry.
"Like
any product, it is safe to use when done correctly, and Australia has really
good stewardship programs for the use of farm chemicals such as Chem Cert and
Ag Safe," Mr Hole said.
Chairman
of Grain Producers Australia (GPA) Andrew Weidemann said ongoing access to Paraquat
was critical to maintaining production and environmental gains made over the
past decade.
"Without
Paraquat we really would struggle to grow crops in a no-till system as there is
no alternative then to glyphosate, which would mean we'd be back to tillage,
which in turn would lower yields and have negative environmental outcomes such
as erosion and damaging the soil structure," Mr Weidemann said.
In
terms of human health, Mr Weidemann said anyone using the product had been
trained how to do so safely.
3rd June 2014 “The Land”