New panel to set up to hear both sides over the use of three farm chemicals

[webfact]

New panel to set up to hear both sides

By CHULARAT SAENGPASSA 
THE NATION 

 

File photo

 

Activists say it’s a time buying tactic.

 

A GOVERNMENT-appointed panel will review information from both sides before deciding how to solve the controversy over the use of three farm chemicals 

 

The review will be conducted by a sub-panel that was established yesterday, though activists have voiced concerns that efforts to stop the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos will go nowhere. 

 

“I am worried the sub-panel has been set up just to buy time,” Prokchol Ousap, coordinator of Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), said yesterday after emerging from a meeting with the panel. 

 

Appointed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, the panel convened its first meeting yesterday to find solutions into the controversial use of the three agrichemicals. At the meeting, information on the chemicals’ adverse impacts and data rebutting these reports was presented, so in response, the committee decided to set up a sub-panel to review information from both sides. 

 

This sub-panel is chaired by the permanent secretary for Science Ministry, as Public Health, Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Industry ministries are seen as parties in conflict. Though the Public Health Ministry called for the three chemicals to be banned last year, the Hazardous Substance Committee (HSC) resolved not to go ahead with the ban partly because the other two ministries had not firmly backed the decision. 

 

Assoc Professor Puangrat Kajitvichyanukul, chief of the Centre of Excellence on Environmental Research and Innovation at Naresuan University and key researcher on the chemicals’ impacts in Nong Bua Lamphu province, said an Industry Ministry representative had presented findings from an Agriculture Department’s study rebutting her findings. 

 

“They have always cited different results, which is possible because they used different criteria. They have simply ignored the impacts on farmers,” Puangrat said. “I feel discouraged.” 

 

Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, who sits on the National Reform Committee on Public Health, said even though yesterday’s meeting had not come up with any clearly positive results, he said it might be necessary to launch a campaign urging farmers to stop or cut down on agrichemicals. “The public should understand that exposure to even small amounts over a long period of time leads to cancer, kidney disease and brain problems,” he said. 

 

Prokchol said her network’s ally, BioThai Foundation, plans to lodge a complaint against the HSC with the Central Adminis-trative Court in two weeks over HSC’s decision to just restrict the use of chemicals – rather than banning them. 

 

The Agriculture Department, which was assigned to introduce measures for restricted use in two months, has already missed the deadline. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352738

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-23

[Samui Bodoh]

"...Though the Public Health Ministry called for the three chemicals to be banned last year, the Hazardous Substance Committee (HSC) resolved not to go ahead with the ban partly because the other two ministries had not firmly backed the decision. .."

 

The Public Health Ministry backed the ban on the chemicals, but because it wasn't "firmly backed" they didn't proceed?

 

Er... Ahem... How "firmly backed" do decisions have to be? Banana firm? Steel firm? Wood firm? Concrete firm? Paper firm? Is there a 'firmness' scale of some kind? 

 

Glad to see the Junta government being so... er... ahem... 'firm' with the health of the people.

 

 

[Lungstib]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Agriculture Department, which was assigned to introduce measures for restricted use in two months, has already missed the deadline.

From which we get a sense of the urgency the agricultural department feels about this subject. 

Living in the country surrounded by vegetable and fruit farms I see shops selling almost no other chemicals but these three. Quite how "measures for restricted use" are ever going to come about when thousands of land owners walk into numerous shops buying however much they desire and then taking it home to mix as they please, I cant imagine.

[Cadbury]

So a government panel has been formed along with a sub-panel just to make sure there will never be an outcome for a number of years.

The big chemical companies will have to reload the wallets of those doctors who gave evidence before and retrain and rehearse them to give more convincing evidence that the chemicals are quite safe.

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

A GOVERNMENT-appointed panel will review information from both sides before deciding how to solve the controversy over the use of three farm chemicals 

thailand is so myopic in this (and many other) issue, just look at what all the civilized countries are doing on this and copy it; those other countries are all doing the same thing

[canopy]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“The public should understand that exposure to even small amounts over a long period of time leads to cancer, kidney disease and brain problems,”

 

And yet we are assured by the government there is no need to ban these substances. 

 

[mikebell]

How many committees/sub-panels is that?  Prawit is on 50 such panels presumably drawing travel/attendance expenses.  Is there anybody on any of these panels who knows how to Google and read English?

[Commercial Diver]

We live in Bueng Kan on our Rubber Tree Land. We don’t spray our trees, but the folks we had taking care of it for 8 years MAY have sprayed, without being aware of the potential damage they might be causing. No matter - That’s past.

... During recent flooding of a usually small stream, I cleared some brush from the water to help it flow better.

... After only 1 Hour working in the stream, the skin on my hands felt ‘pulled’ taut (tight) I stopped, but they ached and stayed red for 2 days .. I think the incredible rains washed dangerous herbicides from the local farm land & surrounding vegetation.

I am now looking to test our well water, because the 54 meter deep well may be loaded with poison. I would Love to get it tested ASAP.

... Seems we don’t need any more studies about whether (or to What Percentage level of exposure) these chemicals are harmful to humans. Many countries have BANNED the use of several of them.

My Idea is we need widespread TESTING to help us understand how bad this is in our agricultural regions ... AND how to protect my family and our friends from this poison, now that we know it’s on our lands. Will Filtering the Drinking Water Work ..??

I would Love someone Smart to help us all out.

 

[Jeremy50]

They spray this stuff around like water. It causes cancer and all kinds of neurological disorders. This is proven, which is why the use of these chemicals is banned in the west. Farmers did just fine a hundred years ago, before chemicals were used.  Ban them all.  Thailand has a very high cancer rate, and who would be surprised. These chemicals, plus a diet high in fat, meat products stuffed with hormones, liberal use of palm oil, often re-used many times, are all to blame.

[kannot]

4 hours ago, Lungstib said:

mix as they please,

root  cause  of  the  problem , more =  better for  them

[Krataiboy]

A hundred thousand baht fine for driving without a licence, but no penalty for killing us with chemicals. 

 

Mmmm.

 

[canopy]

It is quite simply surreal. We know the farmers will continue over spraying to their heart's content, everyone is out there eating poisoned produce and fish, bathing in poisoned tap water, and getting sick and some dying from all the poison everywhere. Yet try to find someone who cares. The poison sprayers as well as the people living in the poison simply don't care at all. You can educate them and they still don't care. Same situation with the fire setters and the people living in the smog. Nobody cares.