EU: Court Removes Paraquat From Annex I
16 July 2007 The Court concluded that the European Commission (EC) handling of the active ingredient’s dossier "does not satisfy the applicable procedural requirements" of the Directive, and that the decision to re-register paraquat "fails to satisfy the requirement of protection of human and animal health." The decision was brought to the court by EU Member States Sweden, Austria, Denmark, and Finland.
Syngenta, which supported paraquat through its EU review, says it is "surprised by the unprecedented decision" made by the court. The company, which sells the paraquat-based product Gramoxone, has said that it has "comprehensive" data supporting the safety of the product for users, consumers, and the environment. Syngenta has pledged to work with regulatory authorities and the EC to get to the bottom of the issues raised by the court, mostly regarding mishandled or missing data on paraquat’s safety assessment.
Paraquat has been banned in 13 countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland. The herbicide has been marketed for the past 60 years and is used on over 50 crops in more than 120 countries.
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