Uruguay restricts the use of paraquat dichloride

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

The Uruguayan Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries limited the use of the active ingredient paraquat dichloride, prohibiting its use as a crop desiccant.

According to a resolution of the General Directorate of Agricultural Services (DGSA), the only crops that can use the herbicide are potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.), and forage legume seedbeds.

According to the Ministry, the decree addressed "the need to implement measures to minimize the risks derived from the application of phytosanitary products based on the active ingredient paraquat dichloride."

This active principle is used in Uruguay to control a wide range of weeds, with significant contributions in managing resistant weeds, and is also used as a desiccant for crops.

"This active ingredient is toxic and lethal if ingested or inhaled. The dermal irritant causes damage to organs in single and repeated exposures, according to the SGH classification of the European Union. In the soil, paraquat residues have high persistence. It stays in the water for up to 10 days. It has a high toxicity in birds, aquatic organisms and is moderately toxic to bees,” the resolution said.

The DGSA – Input Control Division made a technical report where it appeared that those uses with waiting times very close to harvest, such as crop desiccants, determined a more significant risk in detecting residues in cereal grains and oilseeds. There were also substitute tools for the referenced active ingredient.

"It is a priority for the DGSA to continue generating and promoting a series of restriction measures to the application of active ingredients potentially dangerous to human health and/or the environment, and whose use is not justified based on good agricultural practices," the decree said.

According to the general director of Agricultural Services, to date, alternative desiccant herbicides are marketed with similar efficacy as the active ingredient paraquat dichloride.