By Chela Vázquez
The enforcement of
an international mechanism for Prior Informed Consent when trading with a
dangerous herbicide, paraquat dichloride, was blocked by India, Guatemala, and Indonesia at the 7th Conference of the Parties
to the Rotterdam Convention.
“People in Africa
have felt the impact of paraquat dichloride and have paid dearly with their
health and lives. This acutely toxic chemical impairs people for life. Listing
paraquat dichloride 20% and above in the Rotterdam Convention would empower
governments in the exercise of their duty to protect human health and the
environment” said Dr. Paul Windinpsidi Savadogo, Director General of the
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of
Burkina Faso. He added “This is a missed opportunity and it is regrettable that
a few countries prevented the majority from being able to take measures to
protect human health, particularly of farmers and agricultural workers, who are
the most exposed with this chemical.”
In 2010 Burkina
Faso proposed adding the herbicide paraquat dichloride 20% to the Rotterdam
Convention in order to have information about potential imports of this
herbicide and take pertinent measures, which could include placing restrictions
or banning. Burkina Faso reported serious health impacts linked to this
chemical among farmers. The scientific body of the Rotterdam Convention
reviewed Burkina
Faso’s proposal and recommended the inclusion of paraquat dichloride to the
convention.
Paraquat dichloride, an acutely toxic chemical
Omara Amuko, based
in Uganda, from the International Union of Food and Allied Workers Africa said “Paraquat dichloride has caused serious harm
to farmers and agricultural workers in Africa. This chemicals needs to be under
the scrutiny of governments, already CILSS countries have prohibited the use of
paraquat in the region.” The Permanent
Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS for its acronym in
French) banned paraquat in 2011.
“Paraquat dichloride
is an acutely toxic chemical that is used under high risk conditions in
developing countries. In India for instance, its use poses great health risks
to farmers and workers” said C. Jayakumar from PAN India.
Jayakumar was
referring to a new report
from India by PAN India and other groups that documented paraquat dichloride being
sold in plastic carrying bags, mixed with other ingredients such as shampoo, and
applied with leaking knapsack sprayers on crops where its use has not been
approved.
“The use of
paraquat is not allowed in Switzerland, the European Union and many other
countries” said Francois Meienberg from the Berne
Declaration. He added “Syngenta, the creator and main seller of paraquat,
currently makes profits from its sales to developing countries, knowing that
farmers and workers have no possibility to protect themselves adequately which
leads to high risk conditions of use and uncounted poisoning cases.”
India and Guatemala again blocked the inclusion of
paraquat dichloride to the Rotterdam Convention
The Conference of
the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions met in in
Geneva on May 4-15, 2015 and
deliberated on the listing of new hazardous chemicals to the conventions.
Paraquat
dichloride 20% and above was on the Rotterdam COP 7 agenda two years after COP 6
in 2013 failed to reach an agreement on its inclusion
to the
convention. Similar to COP 6, at COP 7, India
and Guatemala obstructed the inclusion of paraquat dichloride to the
convention. This time, Indonesia also joined them.
Most governments at
COP 7 of the Rotterdam Convention were in favor of adding this highly hazardous
pesticide to the Convention. The Prior Informed Consent procedure of the Convention
would allow governments to exchange information and more effectively control
the use of this chemical in order to protect the health of their most
vulnerable citizens.
