FlowFM Deep Dive: Paraquat, Parkinson's and where to next following APVMA ruling
- Jess Dempster
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Following three-decades of reviews, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has ruled that the herbicide paraquat will remain available for use on Australian farms, with significant new restrictions on application rates and permitted uses introduced to reduce the exposure risk for farm workers, birds and mammals.
Paraquat is typically used in broad-acre farming, particularly for grains, sugarcane, cotton and horticulture. The herbicide is currently banned in over 70 jurisdictions worldwide, including the European Union, the UK, China, Malaysia and Brazil, due to numerous health concerns - particularly links to Parkinson's disease.
APVMA CEO Scott Hansen said the extensive reviews carried out over the past 30 years regarding paraquat – and another herbicide, diquat – involved a rigorous scientific assessment of their impacts on human health and the environment.
Based on the findings, the regulator confirmed both chemicals would remain available for use in Australia, but under tighter controls driven by toxicity risks and evidence of acute and chronic exposure risks to birds and mammals foraging in treated areas.
Mr Hansen said application rates would also be significantly reduced under the new restrictions.
“To protect users from acute exposure, new restrictions will phase out backpack sprayers and require enclosed mixing and loading systems for all uses, and enhanced personal protection equipment,” Mr Hansen said.
“The maximum rate of application on paraquat and diquat will be 231 grams per hectare, down from 1,150 grams per hectare,” Mr Hansen said.
In making its decision, the APVMA found that “the weight of evidence does not show that paraquat exposure through approved uses increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.”
New restrictions to cause "some real challenges" for farmers
The APVMA's ruling has drawn mixed responses from Australia’s agricultural industry, which maintains paraquat is an essential farming tool, as well as health organisations and advocates who say the chemical should be banned entirely.
Speaking on FlowFM’s Country Viewpoint program, Grain Producers South Australia chief executive Brad Perry said paraquat remained a critical tool for growers, and that the group was concerned the new restrictions would have significant implications for South Australian grain producers.
"A 2024 survey we did showed that 96% of the over 600 producers we spoke with saw paraquat as a key crop protection tool in their toolkit that they use all the time," Mr Perry said.
"It's really important (for the industry) when it comes to getting on top of pest weeds, and also desiccating - drying out all the lentils ready to harvest ... so having restrictions put on the amount of use that grain producers can put out on their farms is going to cause some real challenges for them."
He said paraquat was particularly important for controlling weeds and supporting pre-harvest crop management in pulses, and that there was currently no practical, effective and affordable alternative for farmers to turn to.
“We’d already seen some resistance build up from weeds at current rates … if anything we would have loved to have seen those retained just to try and get on top of the weeds with a double knock system that the growers use," Mr Perry said.
On the broader debate around health concerns and the regulator’s decision, Mr Perry said growers were operating within strict safety requirements when using chemicals on-farm.
“Our farmers use chemicals in a closed loop system, so they follow the PPE requirements and make sure it’s handled safely. I mean after all, they need to do that for their own health and others - it’s part of their job,” he said.
“The APVMA is an independent national chemical regulator and they base their decisions on science, in saying that, they’ve stated several times over that there is no link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease, so I think we’ll leave it at that.”
“But it is important to let everyone know that farmers really are making sure that they handle these crop protection tools safely, not only for them, but for others as well.”
Looking ahead, Mr Perry said GPSA still has "a lot of questions" regarding how the new restrictions will be enforced, and that the organisation will be working with "whoever's involved with that" to make sure all South Australian producers understand the new protocols going forward.
“They’ve got it wrong” - health advocates to continue push for ban
The new restrictions have also been criticised by Parkinson's Australia, who believe paraquat should be banned entirely in Australia, with the organisation's CEO Olivia Nassaris telling FlowFM that they think the APVMA has "got it wrong in this instance".
She said Parkinson's Australia believed the regulator should have taken a more precautionary approach, given concerns about potential health risks associated with paraquat exposure.
“We believe that the precautionary principle in this case needs to apply because paraquat is such a dangerous chemical,” she said.
Ms Nassaris said Australia was now out of step with a number of other countries that had already restricted or banned the chemical.
“In the 30 years (the APVMA) have been reviewing this chemical, 70 countries around the world have banned it," she said.
“We’re the last to act here, and we’ve failed.”
She said other countries in recent years have banned paraquat on the basis "that there is a link between the herbicide and Parkinson's Disease", and that she thinks "the APVMA has followed suit in terms of the US and New Zealand", rather than those who have elected to ban the chemical.
She added that the organisation acknowledges concerns from parts of the agricultural sector about how essential paraquat is to their farming practices, but that Parkinson's Australia is aware of - and working with - multiple farmers who have successfully moved away from the chemical.
“I get that it sucks for farming practices, I really do,” she said, " but I’ve spoken just yesterday with over 25 farmers who’ve changed to different practices where they don’t have to use the chemical anymore, and with success.”
Moving forward, Miss Nassaris said that the organisation is going to continue working towards a ban and raising awareness of the devastating impact of Parkinson's Disease.
More information on the APVMA's ruling and the review process/findings can be found on the regulator's website.
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