Sugarcane growers push back on APVMA's two-year paraquat ban

In a recent review, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority determined that paraquat applications in sugarcane create acute and chronic exposure risks for birds, leading to a decision to withdraw registration for the crop after a two-year transition period. Canegrowers chief executive Dan Galligan warned that the absence of viable replacements could compel growers to switch to more expensive or ecologically damaging weed-control methods, potentially increasing herbicide use and sediment loss.

Sugar Research Australia is tasked with identifying suitable substitutes, though no delivery date has been announced. Farmers such as Bryce MacDonald and Adrian Crema in Far North Queensland challenged the ban, noting they have not witnessed bird fatalities and emphasizing paraquat’s role in enabling minimal-till practices that protect the Great Barrier Reef. The regulator maintained that the decision was based on environmental safety standards, leaving the development of alternative strategies to growers, advisers, and state governments.