The APVMA is racing through chemical reviews at a pace not seen for years

Australia’s chemical regulator has ticked off a number of longstanding chemical reviews, including a controversial herbicide and pesticide.

Australia’s agricultural and veterinary chemical regulator is racing ahead to finalise a number of chemical reviews, banning a herbicide with links to serious health issues in young and unborn children.

Last week the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority made the unusual decision to render the use of herbicides containing the chemical chlorthal dimethyl, also known as Dacthal or DCPA, illegal, with the ban effective immediately.

The decision comes two months after the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order to stop use of all products containing the chemical due to the potential for serious adverse effects on unborn children.

Testing on mice found those effects include low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ and impaired motor skills later on life, some of which may be irreversible.

The herbicide is mainly used in vegetable crops and turf.

A recall of any product left on-farm or in the supply chain is now expected.

APVMA chief executive Scott Hansen said the decision wasn’t taken lightly but would bring Australia into alignment with international counterparts.

“The APVMA considers the risk of continued use to be unacceptable as the risk of exposure cannot be effectively mitigated,” Mr Hansen said.

“The primary risk is to pregnant people’s unborn babies, particularly where those people have handled the chemical or re-entered areas where the product has been used within the last 5 days.”

The decision comes a week after the APVMA curtailed the use of common insecticide chlorpyrifos, following evidence of a link to brain damage in young children, and less than a month after it banned the use of diazinon, commonly used by sheep producers to control flystrike and lice.

Chlorpyrifos is a broad based insecticide widely used on fruits and vegetables, oilseeds, cotton, cereals, pasture and turf.

Meanwhile grain producers are being urged to submit their records of use of controversial herbicides paraquat and diquat, which are currently being assessed for their health and environmental impacts, with a decision expected early next year.

Paraquat was first placed under reconsideration in Australia 17 years ago.

In an interim summary of its findings released in July, the APVMA flagged the use of the chemicals could continue but in a reduced capacity.

It also dismissed links to Parkinson’s disease, which have been widely reported in Australia and overseas.

Mark Schilling says grain producers would have to rethink how they would farm sustainabily without the use of diquat and paraquat in their toolbox. Picture: Tricia Watkinson.

Grain Producers Australia say the proposed changes would place unnecessary pressure on farmers to rethink sustainable farming practices.

The two chemicals are commonly used to control weeds such as ryegrass and are also used to desiccate pulse crops.

Grain Producers Australia southern region director Mark Schilling, who farms on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, said pulse crops have many benefits in cropping rotations, particularly as they fix nitrogen to the soil, which reduces reliance on artificial inputs.

“The real issue we face is that without being able to desiccate our pulses, we can’t capture our crops in that key window to evenly ripen for best yield outcomes and kill off ryegrass that is about to seed,” he said.

However, Mr Schilling said he agreed not enough environmental work has been done, but GPA was doing the work to prove they were sustainable farmers.

Paraquat has been banned in 70 countries, including the UK, Europe and China, due to its health risks. It is still used in the United States and Australia.

Mr Schilling said as farmers they were always concerned about health claims.