Farming Chemicals

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14:41): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of chemicals linked to Parkinson's disease.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: It was recently reported on ABC's Landline program that a cluster of Parkinson's disease cases in a Victorian farming community could be linked to the use of paraquat, a broad-spectrum herbicide that allows farmers to target weeds that are resistant to other pesticides, like glyphosphate.

The chemical is banned in countries around the world, including the United Kingdom and China, but is still widely used here in Australia. Farmers in the US and Canada are suing the company who owns the patent to paraquat, claiming that they have developed Parkinson's disease as a result of exposure.

My question to the minister therefore is: is the minister concerned about the potential risk of Parkinson's disease from exposure to the chemical paraquat, and what action is the government taking to protect South Australians from exposure to this potentially dangerous herbicide?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for his question. The chemical use is governed by the APVMA, a federal body, which makes decisions on these matters based on the most up-to-date research and science that might be around it. I am aware of some of the controversies around paraquat. I have had a very high-level briefing which also referred, if I remember correctly, to the way that different chemicals will behave in different environments and climates. However, the APVMA is the body that has control over the licensing of chemicals.