CropLife Australia voiced its disappointment with the broadcaster’s reporting of a link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease and accused it of abandoning its journalistic principles of integrity, responsibility and accuracy.
CropLife Australia is the peak industry organisation representing the agricultural chemical and biotechnology (plant science) sector in Australia.
A statement from CropLife said the conclusions drawn from the reporting stood in ‘stark contrast’ to findings from other worldwide regulatory authorities.
“It raises further questions about the credibility of scientific reporting standards that the ABC sets for itself and that the Australian community deserve,” the statement said.
The industry body criticised the ABC for a ‘sensationalised narrative’ by it cherry-picking isolated case studies and linking them to scientific opinion, undermining public confidence in important regulatory systems.
CropLife said herbicide products were thoroughly regulated and rigorously assessed, and defended the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s independence and scientific credibility
A 2023 report found no instances of inappropriate chemical registration by APVMA.
“The APVMA is world-renowned for its robust, independent, science-based assessments of agricultural and veterinary chemicals, employing expert regulatory scientists and toxicologists equipped to navigate the complex data of realistic exposure to hazards,” CropLife said.
Regulators in the United States, New Zealand and Japan agree with the APVMA’s assessment regarding paraquat and Parkinson's disease.
