GRAIN CENTRAL | Push to hold hearings as part of paraquat inquiry fails
A push to hold public hearings as part of a Senate inquiry into the continued use and regulation of paraquat has been defeated, following strong opposition from Australia's grains industry to revisiting the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority's (APVMA) recent regulatory decision.
In an article published by Grain Central, the Senate voted 26 to 15 against a motion by independent Senator David Pocock to require public hearings, after the inquiry committee had decided not to hold them.
Grain Producers Australia (GPA), alongside GrainGrowers and state farming organisations, had opposed the establishment of the inquiry, warning that political intervention following the APVMA's independent, science-based assessment could undermine confidence in Australia's agricultural chemical regulatory system.
The article examines the competing positions of industry representatives, parliamentarians and Parkinson's Australia, with supporters of the inquiry calling for further public scrutiny of the evidence linking paraquat exposure to Parkinson's disease.
GPA has consistently supported independent, science-based regulation of agricultural chemicals, recognising the importance of maintaining effective crop protection options while ensuring the health and safety of growers, workers and the wider community.
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