Nufarm Response-Report on 2,4-D containing excessive dioxin levels

Date:07-25-2013

On July 22, Australia's ABC's 4 Corners program reported their investigation on elevated levels of dangerous dioxins in a generic version of 2,4-D, one of Australia's most widely used herbicides. They thought that authorities didn’t routinely test for them.

For this, Nufarm made the response as follow:

2,4-D is one of the most commonly used selective herbicides worldwide. It is registered for use in more than 100 countries. As Australia’s largest manufacturer and supplier of 2,4-D products – and a leading supplier globally – Nufarm insists on the highest standards in respect of product quality.

Nufarm ensures the purity of 2,4-D by distilling the chlorophenols used in the manufacturing process. Their manufacturing process includes the use of 'Plascon' technology, developed in conjunction with CSIRO, which uses a plasma arc to destroy unwanted impurities, including dioxins.

Nufarm’s 2,4-D products comply with all relevant regulatory standards and meet the highest applicable quality and purity standards in Australia, the US, Europe and other markets. Nufarm has robust quality regimes in place for the manufacture and marketing of all our products which are regularly tested in specialist independent laboratories.

Nufarm has also been instrumental in developing important product stewardship and farmer training initiatives that help ensure the safe use of our products and reduce unintended exposure and off-target damage. These initiatives include the Spraywise program and CottonMap.

In recent years, Australia has seen increased imports of formulated generic crop protection products. Nufarm will continue to work with relevant Australian regulatory authorities, including through the industry association CropLife, to ensure appropriate standards are in place to monitor the quality of all imported products.