Cheap, effective and dangerous: How Australian farmers came to depend on the toxic weedkiller paraquat

It is illegal to use paraquat in at least 74 jurisdictions worldwide, including the European Union, China, Malaysia, Brazil and, most recently, the U.S. state of Vermont. But today, Australia’s chemical regulator gave this effective but highly toxic herbicide the green light. After a nearly 30-year review, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) finally decided paraquat can continue to be used on Australian farms. It will have to be used at reduced rates and can no longer be applied with backpack sprayers, only in enclosed systems. There’s no doubt paraquat is dangerous. It’s a Schedule 7 poison that…