paraquat

One of the more interesting developments in modern journalism is that reporters increasingly seem to know the answer before they begin asking the questions .. The problem with Ros Thomas's recent Weekend Australian feature on paraquat and Parkinson's disease is that by the time you reach the end, you are left with the feeling that the destination was already known before the journey began.

Consultation on the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s (APVMA)  proposed regulatory decision on paraquat  closed ... The APVMA Chief Executive Officer Mr Scott Hansen said the regulator received submissions from across industry, community, medical and public health sectors.

Weed seeker and spot spraying technology is reducing the cropping area paraquat is applied to by between 40-90 percent for one Western Australian grower.   But now, proposed changes to the use of this herbicide could ban this practice and potentially lead to more of the chemical being used across larger areas of Australia’s grain growing regions.  

Thousands of grain producers  will be put under unnecessary pressure to rethink  sustainable farming practices that benefit  the environment if proposed changes to the use of two key herbicides are approved. This is according to Grain Producers Australia Southern Region Director Mark Schilling,  who is just one of thousands of grain producers who rely  on timed applications of paraquat and diquat  in their programs to ensure a strong harvest result.

Grain Producers Australia hosted an online session delving into the chemical review of key herbicides paraquat and diquat. The Session included insights from GPA RD&E Spokesperson Andrew Weidemann and Interim Chief Executive Pete Arkle.

This year, global grain production will be somewhere between 2.5 and 3.0 billion tonnes, of that around 500 million tonnes will be available for export ... Take your pick as to the impact of going organic, but on average, between a third and half the world starves. But what about just taking out paraquat and glyphosate—the foundation chemicals for no-till farming?