AGRICULTURE — GLYPHOSATE USE
715. Hon DIANE EVERS to the Minister for Agriculture and Food:
Today I learned that the chemical
company Bayer has reached a $US10 billion settlement in the Roundup litigation
in the United States.
(1) Can the minister advise what
impact this may have in Western Australia?
(2) Will the minister consider the
restricting the use or sale of glyphosate in Western Australia?
Hon
ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(2) Yes, there has certainly been a lot of media
coverage about this decision. The member is probably aware that access to
Roundup, or glyphosate, is regulated at a federal level. It is important to
note that the cases that have been settled—a huge amount, some $A15 billion,
has been allocated to settle these cases—do not relate to the consumption
of produce after glyphosate use, but, rather, relate to people who applied the
chemical and who have contracted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I think that
it is clear that farming communities will need to be very, very careful about
their and their families' health and safety when applying this
chemical. We need to ensure that we always help farmers understand exactly what
they need to do to protect themselves when applying chemicals. I think the settlement
will probably have a consequence for local governments that use this product on
parks, where people, their residents, are potentially directly exposed to it.
However, one interesting thing about
this decision is that Bayer, in conjunction with the litigants, will establish
an independent science panel, which over the next two or three years will
investigate the claims and concerns that this product may be implicated in
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. That is a very positive development. I also
note that Bayer is saying that it has to have a plan B, so it has committed �5 billion
over a 10-year period to develop additional products and new methods and
products to manage weeds as part of an integrated approach to sustainable
agriculture.