Dangerous pesticides ban ‘in progress’ in Thailand: Agriculture Minister

Uncertainty remains in Thailand whether or not to ban Paraquat, Glyphosate, and Chlorpyrifos which are used as pesticides, leading an ad-hoc committee on the regulation of chemical substances in the industrial sector to request clarification from related ministers. The Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives has responded by reaffirming his intention to ban these chemicals.

 

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-orn has stressed in an interview the policy on the discontinuation the chemicals, saying that the MOAC intends ultimately to ban these chemicals, but the banning process is pending consideration by the Hazardous Substance Committee.
 

He said the matter is now under the supervision of Deputy Minister Mananya Thaiset, adding that the MOAC is ready to proceed with a ban on these chemicals once the Hazardous Substance Committee has made its decision.

 

“It is absolutely impossible. I have made it obvious that once it is clearly written in the law, I will immediately discontinue these chemicals. There was none. The rumors that companies have talked to me. I can confirm I have never talked or engaged in any way with pharmaceutical companies, and I still intend not to.”

 

The President of the House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee on the regulation of chemical substances in the industrial sector, Chavalit Vichayasuthi has raised his concerns with the Minister of Agriculture’s order to follow the Hazardous Substance Committee’s decision to restrict the usage of Paraquat, Glyphosate, and Chlorpyrifos, while not banning those chemicals; adding that the Minister of Agriculture must be able to clarify his reasons for having a different opinion from other Ministers on this subject.

 

The order restricting these chemicals was made after a request had been filed with the Ministry of Industry’s Permanent Secretary on 17th September 2019 by officials of the Department Of Agriculture to categorize these chemicals as Class 4 hazardous substances, prohibiting their manufacture, importation, export, and sale.