FEDERAL Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke says he is satisfied the pesticide endosulfan is safe for restricted use even though it has been banned in more than 60 countries.
The Minister says Australia's regulators are not only disregarding international trends but also the mounting body of evidence that endosulfan is a dangerous chemical and should not be used in farm applications.
New Zealand initiated a total ban on the use of the pesticide in January 2009 and Bayer, one of the largest producers of the pesticide is planning to pull out of the market.
NSW Greens MP Dr John Kaye says Australian regulators are being shown up by a multinational chemical company realising the inherent dangers of this pesticide and it is only the conservatism of the regulators that is standing in the way of Australia joining the rest of the world in banning endosulfan.
India, Australia and the US, are three countries within a minority still permitted to the use endosulfan which is measured to be one of the most toxic pesticides currently manufactured.
As such Australian agrichemical corporation Nufarm in a joint venture with Schroff Group in Mumbai, known as Excel Crop Care became the largest producer of endosulfan in India last year.
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