Paraquat

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question without notice to the Minister for Primary Industries on the topic of paraquat.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: On Monday, the ABC reported that leading neurologists and movement disorder specialists have made submissions to the Australian chemical regulator, calling for a ban on paraquat over its links to Parkinson's disease. The minister has stated that the use of the chemical paraquat sits with the medical regulator, APVMA. Twenty-eight independent studies from the last 15 years have shown that animals injected with paraquat develop signs of Parkinson's disease.

In August, the ABC revealed that the report that the APVMA have relied on for their advice in relation to the connection between Parkinson's and paraquat was based on an unpublished paper by the maker of the chemical, Syngenta. The APVMA had told the ABC that they are due to make their final decision on paraquat in February next year.

My question to the Minister for Primary Industries therefore is: what is the government doing to protect the community from the risks associated with this chemical in the meantime? In particular, is she concerned about the welfare of people living in the regions who may be exposed to this chemical?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:04): I thank the honourable member for his question. I think the claims that he has made in regard to a single paper certainly are not something that appear in my briefings on this.

Paraquat is a herbicide registered for use in a range of agricultural and horticultural situations for weed control. It's considered a particularly important herbicide for use in field crop situations due to its extensive use in low-tillage farming systems and in managing weeds with chemical resistance.

The APVMA is the independent national regulator of agricultural and veterinary chemicals (agvet chemicals) up to the point of sale. The APVMA makes science-based decisions on the registration of agvet products. Paraquat has been under reconsideration by the APVMA due to concerns relating to the safety of people, including the public and users of the chemical, safety for the environment, and impact on trade.

On 30 August this year, the APVMA published its proposed regulatory decision on paraquat. The proposed regulatory decision was open for public consultation until 29 October, so just this week, with the APVMA inviting submissions of additional data to help inform the final decision. Based on the weight of evidence, the APVMA's regulatory decision proposes removing a number of current paraquat uses at high rates of application that pose an unacceptable risk to the environment. The APVMA also proposes removing the use of paraquat at high rates where the short-term risk of poisoning can't be adequately mitigated.

The APVMA considers that there is no imminent risk to human health or the safety of food. I am advised that the APVMA would have taken immediate action if there was considered to be an imminent risk identified.

This proposed regulatory decision has of course attracted interest and public comment from a range of stakeholders. Grain bodies, such as Grain Producers SA and its relevant state bodies, have been publicly supportive of the need for certain uses of paraquat to be retained, with appropriate label instructions to protect users. Medical bodies, including leading neurologists and movement disorder specialists, have, I am advised, been calling for paraquat to be banned. It's understood that a number of these stakeholders have made submissions to the APVMA on the proposed regulatory outcome.

The proposed and final regulatory decisions regarding paraquat registration and changes to label directions are for the APVMA to make. South Australia supports the APVMA as the independent science-based national regulator of agvet chemicals that determines what products can be used and how to use them safely.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) will closely monitor the final APVMA decision and appropriately enforce registration and label requirements in accordance with our state-based control-of-use legislation. I am advised that the APVMA is due to make its final regulatory decision on paraquat by 28 February 2025, and in the meantime the current registrations and label instructions remain applicable for paraquat.