Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the global number of (1) deaths, and (2) injuries, caused by UK exports of the banned herbicide paraquat to countries where its use remains legal; what assessment they made of the environmental impact of such exports; and what consideration they have given to restricting exports of pesticides that are banned in the UK.

We take our trade and international obligations for human health and the environment seriously and continue to monitor action in other countries and learn from their experiences.

The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. Companies intending to export any of these chemicals from the GB must notify the importing country via the exporter’s Designated National Authority. For GB, the Designated National Authority is The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Paraquat additionally requires the explicit consent of the importing country before export can take place. The exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. This process is kept under review.

We believe it is essential that the use of actives that are known to be hazardous to human health or the environment should be subject to scientific risk assessment, mitigation and regulatory protections. That is why we support notification of the export of Paraquat under GB PIC and support its listing under the Rotterdam convention. ​

Additionally, the UK is committed to working internationally including through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and United Nations Environment Assembly to support other nations to safely manage pesticides. We also believe in evidence-based international policy-making through the use of scientific committees, such as the Chemical Review Committee, and strengthening of the international ‘science - policy interface’ for chemicals and pesticides to support global decision-making.

We are progressing projects assessing the impacts of pesticides, including Paraquat, on human health and the environment in developing countries. We will continue to support developing countries to use pest management techniques which are most beneficial for them based on evidence and the expressed desires of the countries.