Farming chemical banned

Australia's pesticides regulator has ended the use of a chemical banned in more than
60 other countries.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced on
Tuesday that agricultural products containing the insecticide endosulfan are now no
longer registered.
The three current approvals for endosulfan have also been cancelled, and the five
products containing the chemical will be phased out over the next two years.
This follows a federal government department's assessment which found the spray
drift and run-off from prolonged use of endosulfan was harmful to the environment.
The study concluded long-term risks could not be mitigated through restrictions on
use or variations to label instructions.
APVMA says risks to human health were not a factor in its decision to end the use of
the chemical.
The United States ended all uses of the insecticide in June after its environmental
authorities accepted it could cause nerve damage and reproductive complications in
farm workers and is a hazard to wildlife.
WWF has welcomed APVMA's decision but are critical of the association for not
acknowledging human health risks.
"Endosulfan is a very nasty poison but there are many other dangerous pesticides
still posing unacceptable risks to Australian farmers and wildlife," WWF Australia
spokeswoman Juliette King said.
"We need better processes to ensure the faster removal of pesticides when they are
known to be dangerous."
Ms King said the APVMA has been reviewing the safety of at least eight dangerous
chemicals for more than 13 years while they remain on shelves.