Australia keeps paraquat and diquat on the market with tighter restrictions
After a review lasting nearly 30 years, Australia decided to keep paraquat and diquat available, but with much tighter rules on application rates, equipment and operator protection.
Australia's pesticide regulator, the APVMA, has completed a review of paraquat and diquat that lasted almost 30 years and decided to keep both herbicides available, but under significantly tighter restrictions. PerthNow reported that the decision affects chemicals widely used on crops such as cotton, rice and wheat, and that have long been the subject of intense debate over human health and environmental risks.
According to the report, the regulator will allow continued use of the products but cut the maximum application rate from 1,150 grams per hectare to 231 grams per hectare. Technology-assisted spot spraying may still use higher rates, but only on up to 30 per cent of the treated area. Backpack sprayers will also be phased out in favour of enclosed mixing and loading systems, while stronger personal protective equipment requirements will apply to operators.
The APVMA said the new restrictions stem from detailed evidence of acute toxicity risks for human handlers and impacts on animals foraging in treated areas. At the same time, the regulator maintained that the weight of evidence does not show that paraquat exposure through approved uses increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. That conclusion sits at the centre of the dispute between the regulator and campaign groups calling for a ban.
Pesticide Action Australia executive director Josh Davis sharply criticised the outcome. The article notes that paraquat has been banned in about 70 countries, including China, the world's largest producer of the chemical. Critics argue that ongoing low-level exposure through food, water and air can affect not only farmers but also rural communities more broadly. They also point to higher incidence of Parkinson's disease, cancer and other serious illnesses in rural areas.
Parkinson's Australia, which has been campaigning against the chemicals, described the decision as shocking and warned that the prevalence of Parkinson's disease could triple by 2050. On the other side, the National Farmers' Federation defended the regulator's independence. Its president, Hamish McIntyre, said the products remain important for growers facing variable seasons and rising demand for food and fibre, and that decisions should continue to be guided by robust scientific evidence.
For agriculture, the decision means more than simply keeping a controversial herbicide in use. It raises the compliance bar for application technology, equipment choices and on-farm risk management. Farms that rely on paraquat and diquat will now need to adapt their spraying practices to meet the revised rules. At the same time, the controversy shows how crop protection markets are becoming increasingly shaped not only by field performance, but also by how regulators and the public judge the long-term cost of chemical exposure.