A majority of Australia’s high-use pesticides are banned overseas!

Analysis of Australia’s highest-volume pesticide use has revealed the majority of products widely used in Australian agriculture are banned in other parts of the world, according to a new study led by Griffith University.  

Researchers from Griffith’s School of Environment and Science analysed 45 pesticide products used in volumes of more than 100 tonnes per year, identified through the Australian Government’s now archived Agricultural Chemical Usage Database.  

The international regulatory status of each chemical was benchmarked globally and the findings were stark: 60 per cent of Australia’s high-use pesticides were now banned in the European Union.  

A further 24 per cent were approved in Europe but banned in at least one other country, and just 16 per cent retained full international approval.  

“These findings set Australia apart from the rest of the world and raise questions about how our chemical regulatory frameworks and pesticide-use patterns differ from the rest of the world,” said co-lead author Professor Susan Bengtson Nash.

The study Australia’s Blind Eye; Exploring the Nation’s Permissive Stance on Harmful Pesticides has been published in Environmental Science & Technology. 

Read more: Griffith University News