No ban yet on the use of life-threatening pesticide in Thailand
Environmental activists and consumer organizations are angry that the current government is putting off a pesticide ban proposal. The Department of Agriculture (DoA) makes it easy to say they don't have the expertise to assess health risks. They have forwarded the file to the Ministry of Industry.
The Consumer Protection Confederation (CPC) presented a petition for Prime Minister Prayut to the government's complaints center yesterday. They want the DoA to ban the use of paraquat and chlorpyrifos, which are two commonly used grass/weed control agents.
Paraquat is a heavy poison that also penetrates through the skin. It can affect the nervous system and cause Parkinson's and is therefore banned in 48 countries, including China, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Farmers and consumer organizations have also submitted similar petitions to the provincial authorities in Yasothon and Buri Ram. They are also calling for a ban on glyposate, a toxin that can cause cancer. They blame the DOA companies that sell the poison to keep their hand above their heads.
The DOA announced last week that it had postponed the decision. This is remarkable because a committee already determined in April that the use has long-term consequences for the health of farmers and consumers.
Source: Bangkok Post
There are always lobby lines from interested producers and traders to supervisory authorities.
You could say that is the real poison that leads to the prohibition of certain poisons not getting off the ground. Like for example the Monsanto and Round-up story in the US.
There where many other countries, including Asian ones, have already banned certain poisons, you wouldn't need much study anymore, but yes every country wants to reinvent the wheel.
It would be good if pesticides are involved to regulate this on a global level, but have little confidence that this will happen, unfortunately. Then through regulation per country? Would say Thailand where are you staying? Hope that countries that purchase products in Thailand will no longer buy here.
Nico B
Nor does the EU issue a ban on the use of Round-Up, influenced, of course, by the powerful lobby of Monsanto. As far as I know it is now banned in Belgium.
Bizarrely, the EU bases its refusal to ban the product on advice from the European Food Safety Authority, which in turn bases those advice on studies by… yes, Monsanto itself.
That EFSA is supposed to be the watchdog for the safety of the food we eat in the EU, but in reality it consists of 'revolving door' CEOs, who used to work in the food industry.
Campaigns have been underway for years to get more transparency in EFSA and to combat corruption, but Timmermans is not interested.