{"id":631471,"date":"2026-10-15T14:56:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631471\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:56:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T14:56:27","slug":"were-actually-mammals-parkinsons-australia-challenges-herbicide-safety-as-david-pocock-leads-growing-calls-for-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631471\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019re actually mammals\u2019: Parkinson\u2019s Australia challenges herbicide safety as David Pocock leads growing calls for ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Independent Senator David Pocock is pushing for a public hearing into Australia\u2019s decision to keep a controversial herbicide<\/a> linked to Parkinson\u2019s disease on the market.<\/p>\n

On Sunrise on Thursday, Pocock questioned the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority\u2019s (APVMA) decision not to ban paraquat<\/a> despite the chemical being banned in more than 70 countries.<\/p>\n

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Farmer\u2019s plea to ban paraquat herbicide linked to Parkinson\u2019s<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTheir argument is that the evidence says that it can be safely used. That is not what 70 countries around the world think,\u201d Pocock told Sunrise.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think there should be scrutiny over that decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paraquat is used in agriculture to control weeds, with research linking exposure to an increased risk of developing Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

The renewed calls for action come as Queensland farmer Greg Smith, who is living with Parkinson\u2019s, has issued a desperate warning: \u201cDon\u2019t end up like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FarmerFarmer Greg Smith has added his voice to the growing calls for a ban. Credit: SunrisePush for public hearing <\/p>\n

Pocock said he was seeking support for a Senate motion to allow public hearings as part of the inquiry, arguing the public deserved answers about the decision to retain the herbicide.<\/p>\n

Be the first to know: Add 7NEWS as your preferred news source on Google\"Google<\/p>\n

He told Sunrise the motion would be put to a vote in the Senate on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important that when we have these Senate inquiries, that there is an element that is public, where experts can speak, the regulator can answer questions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally critically, farmers and those affected can actually have their voice heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pocock said public scrutiny was needed to build trust in the process.<\/p>\n

\"SenatorSenator David Pocock said he was seeking support for a Senate motion to allow public hearings as part of the inquiry. Credit: Sunrise\u2018We\u2019re actually mammals, so it is not safe\u2019<\/p>\n

Parkinson\u2019s Australia chief executive Olivia Nassaris said the organisation had identified gaps in the regulator\u2019s assessment and was presenting its concerns to the inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt says in their report that it\u2019s toxic to mammals and birds. And the last time that I checked, we\u2019re actually mammals so it is not safe,\u201d she told Sunrise.<\/p>\n

Nassaris said researchers, neurologists and other experts had raised concerns about the chemical\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n

She also called for funding to help farmers transition to alternative weed-control practices, saying the change could protect both human health and the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cSafe practice will protect not just their health but the soil and our land as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The debate comes as the APVMA\u2019s revised controls on paraquat and the related herbicide diquat introduce tighter restrictions on permitted uses, application rates and handling requirements.<\/p>\n

The parliamentary inquiry will examine the evidence surrounding paraquat and its relationship with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Expert\u2019s unfortunate bogong moth warning as numbers surge<\/p>\n

1 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Gangs paying children less than $200 to commit dangerous crimes<\/p>\n

2 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Independent Senator David Pocock is pushing for a public hearing into Australia\u2019s decision to keep a controversial herbicide…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":631472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[6689,138,127132,263,111,43,139,69,78864,135,1675,34561],"class_list":["post-631471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-agriculture","tag-business","tag-health-wellbeing","tag-lifestyle","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-on-the-show","tag-politics","tag-public-health","tag-sunrise"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=631471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/631471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/631472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=631471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=631471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=631471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}