BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s top administrative court has upheld the ban on deadly farm chemicals paraquat and chlorpyrifos. But the government must now foot the bill for disposing of the banned poisons.
The Central Administrative Court ruled the ban lawful but said forcing companies to pay for cleanup was unfair. The Ministry of Agriculture must cover costs and compensate affected firms.
State must pay for disposal
The court ruled the Department of Agriculture (DoA) must cover the cost of taking back and destroying the banned chemicals. Affected companies will be compensated.
Letting manufacturers and importers bear the full burden would be disproportionate, the court said. Firms should not be left out of pocket without state help.
Ban remains in place
The court did not overturn the classification of the substances as Type 4 hazardous materials. Production, import, export and possession of paraquat and chlorpyrifos stay banned.
The judgment relies on extensive scientific evidence. Protecting health and the environment meets constitutional requirements, the court said.
Deaths down more than 20 percent
Before the ban, traces of paraquat showed up in about a quarter of fruit and vegetable samples. Since the ban, none have been found.
Deaths linked to the chemicals dropped by over 20 percent. Imports of paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate fell by more than 60 million kilograms.
Classification as hazardous since 2020
The Industry Ministry classified paraquat and chlorpyrifos as Type 4 hazardous substances in 2020. That effectively banned their use.
The chemicals had been linked to deaths and residues in food. The ban aimed to protect people and the environment.
Syngenta partially loses lawsuit
Syngenta Crop Protection Co challenged both the ban and the obligation for companies to pay for disposal. It lost on the ban.
Only the cost-bearing obligation for firms was overturned. The DoA now must pay, but the ban stands untouched.
Consumer groups back the ban
Biothai and the Foundation for Consumers, together with the Thai Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), supported the court. They defended the ban.
Government data cited by Thai-PAN proves residues have vanished, the group says. The ruling is a victory for consumer protection.
What the ruling means for the future
The Ministry of Agriculture must now pay for disposal and compensate companies. How much that will cost remains unknown.
The ban itself is now legally cemented. The health data vindicates supporters.