MPs vow to quit in chemicals row

BHUMJAITHAI MEMBERS WILL WALK OUT IF TOXINS NOT OUTLAWED

>>Ministers attached to the Bhumjaithai Party will quit their jobs if they fail to convince the authorities to ban three farm chemicals which have been used for farming despite their high toxicity, party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday.

He told the media yesterday that the ministers, who oversee agriculture and public health, are ready to show their spirit by tendering their resignation if the ban proposal is shot down by the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC), which is authorised to make the final decision.

“We would need to go because failure means we have no power to rule,” Mr Anutin said.

The Bhumjaithai leader oversees the Public Health Ministry while senior party member, Mananya Thaiset, serves as Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister.

Both have spearheaded the move to ban the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, arguing they are harmful to the environment and health.

Health advocates have cited research by Mahidol University which claims that paraquat can even be transferred from mother to foetus in the womb.

Ms Mananya has also set up a panel to study the impact of the chemicals after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed concern over the issue. The nine panellists later voted 9-0 in favour of the ban, Mr Anutin said.

“I’ve talked to Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit who also told me he disagrees with the use of the chemicals,” he said.

Mr Anutin insisted he is not buying a fight with chemical giants. His stance against the three chemicals is based on his intention to protect the health of the public, he said.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Thailand yesterday also reiterated calls on the government to ban the chemicals.

It is time for the government to do away with chemical-based farming and promote organic and sustainable agriculture, it said.

“We must change the direction of farming towards safety,” said Rattanasiri Kittikongnaphang, the Greenpeace coordinator on food and eco-farming campaigns.

The 29-member NHSC is scheduled to consider the issue later this month.

So far the group has only agreed to limit the use of the chemicals until it finds better alternatives.

The Office of the Ombudsman said last Wednesday the NHSC must come up with a sound reason if it decides to ignore the ban.