Country decides against pesticides ban after US pressure

1. Member of committee to ban farm chemicals quits in protest over U-turn
2. Thailand decides against pesticides ban after US pressure
---

1. Member of committee to ban farm chemicals quits in protest over U-turn

The Thaiger, 28 Nov 2019
https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/environment/member-of-committee-to-ban-farm-chemicals-quits-in-protest-over-u-turn

The Thai Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit is being challenged over his claims of a “unanimous vote of support” to overturn the decision to ban the controversial agri-chemicals.

A member of the National Hazardous Substances Committee, that oversaw the original ban on the agri-chemicals paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate, has resigned in protest at the committee’s reversal of the decision.

Associate Professor Jiraporn Limpananont is challenging a claim, made by Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, that the committee had “unanimously resolved to delay the bans on paraquat and chlorpyrifos for six months until June 1, and to allow indefinite controlled use of glyphosate”.

In her Facebook post, the lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Chulalongkorn University, claimed that Mr. Suriya, who chaired the meeting, was “inaccurate”. She says there was, in fact, no unanimous decision by the committee and that her belief in a ban on the three chemicals remains unchanged.

She claims that individual members of the committee where not asked whether they agreed to postponing or modifying enforcement of the ban, but were “forced” to accept the resolution. She also challenges Mr. Suriya’s statement to the media that glyphosate, a product from US manufacturing giant Monsanto, is safe.

At a media gathering last night, Mr. Suriya explained that no committee members objected to the resolution overturning the resolution of the previous NHSC, which was to ban the three chemicals from December 1. He also claimed that glyphosate is currently used in 161 countries and its ban would seriously affect the import of agricultural products from those countries.

The industry minister maintained that the meeting had taken into consideration all aspects regarding the issue.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who said only three days ago that there would be no delay to the ban on the farm chemicals, is on a collision course with the committee and the coalition over the matter. Anutin is leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, who have a large slice of MPs in the current government coalition. If they pulled their support, which has been threatened before, the government would lose any confidence vote in the parliament.
---

2. Thailand decides against pesticides ban after US pressure

Yahoo! News, 27 Nov 2019
https://www.yahoo.com/news/thailand-decides-against-pesticides-ban-094606730.html

Thailand backed down on a plan to prohibit three pesticides from Dec. 1 after coming under pressure from farmers, the U.S. government and lobbyists for chemicals companies.

The ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos will be delayed until June 1 next year, Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said in a briefing. Glyphosate won’t be banned but its use will be restricted, he said Wednesday in Bangkok. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in weed killer Roundup.

A party in Thailand’s coalition government had spearheaded the push to prohibit the three pesticides over health risks. But the proposal met with resistance from the agriculture sector as well as the U.S. administration.

A ban would “severely impact” Thai imports of agricultural commodities such as soybeans and wheat, Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Ted McKinney wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha.

Outlawing the chemicals would have affected the animal feed industry, causing 100 billion baht ($3.3 billion) of disruption, Suriya said. The government would also face a 20-billion-baht compensation bill to clear stockpiles of the chemicals, he said.

Officials plan to begin a four-month study of the impact of prohibiting paraquat and chlorpyrifos, as well as which substitutes are available, according to the industry minister. He was speaking after a government committee met to evaluate the situation.

Health Minister

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, whose Bhum Jai Thai party pushed for the ban, told reporters he was disappointed but would respect the panel’s decision.

Demonstrators marched to Government House on Tuesday to urge officials to assess scientific evidence, the economic impact and whether alternatives are available.

Last week, Singapore-based CropLife Asia, a trade group representing pesticide firms, asked Prayuth to delay the ban because of the potential disruption to the agriculture sector.

Millions of farmers in the U.S. and elsewhere use Roundup, a chemical developed by American firm Monsanto and now produced by a number of companies. Germany’s Bayer AG took over Monsanto in a $63 billion deal last year.

Glyphosate is facing a backlash, with Vietnam and Austria both announcing plans earlier this year to ban the chemical. There have been tens of thousands of lawsuits in the U.S. from people alleging it causes cancer. The German drugs and chemicals maker insists it’s safe.