The rollback of paraquat is the first significant pesticide eradication effort in California since around 2019. That year, the state announced the end of chlorpyrifos<\/a>, a chemical linked to brain disorders.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years, communities have fought to end the use of paraquat, a weedkiller associated with negative impacts to human health and wildlife,\u201d said California Secretary for Environmental Protection Yana Garcia in a Monday news release. \u201cCalifornia will keep moving toward pest management practices that protect health and our ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, news outlets reported<\/a> that a truck carrying paraquat spilled around 60 gallons of the herbicide in Dorris in Siskiyou County, which borders Oregon. The spill led to a shelter in place order, news outlets reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2024, AB 1963 passed the Legislature, which required California\u2019s pesticide regulation department to review paraquat and make a determination on its use by Jan. 1, 2029. The department could either retain, suspend or cancel the product\u2019s registration or curb its use.<\/p>\n The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also conducting<\/a> its own reviews of paraquat.<\/p>\n The Environmental Working Group, a national advocacy and research organization, celebrated California\u2019s decision to curb paraquat in the state.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of other pesticides we need to stop using but to have one definitely canceled is a real accomplishment,\u201d said Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president for the Environmental Working Group in California. \u201cIt took too long, but we got here. I hope the rest of the United States follows suit and eventually the federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n In June, Vermont became the first<\/a> state to ban paraquat. Del Chiaro said that 70 countries have banned the pesticide.<\/p>\n California Farm Bureau denounced the pesticide\u2019s cancellation.<\/p>\n \u201cParaquat has been an important tool for California farmers, and its loss raises a broader concern about California\u2019s increasingly difficult marketplace,\u201d said Isabella Quinonez, a California Farm Bureau spokesperson. \u201cWith the cost and complexity of maintaining products in the state continuing to grow, it is no surprise that manufacturers are leaving the California marketplace, leaving farmers with fewer tools, higher costs and less access to innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wonderful Company, one of California\u2019s largest agricultural companies, is one of the top users of paraquat in the state, according to an analysis<\/a> of state pesticide use records from the Environmental Working Group.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for The Wonderful Company told The Sacramento Bee on Monday that the business has decreased its use of the pesticide by more than 97% since 2019, with a goal to phase out usage by the end of 2026. The pesticide was \u201conly used for weed control and never directly on fruit or trees,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published August 10, 2026 at 6:37 PM.<\/p>\n
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