Workers’ Memorial Day, April 28, 2013: IUF calls for ban on killer pesticide paraquat

To mark Workers’ Memorial Day, the IUF is renewing its call for a global ban on paraquat, a highly hazardous herbicide, with no antidote, responsible for deaths and severe injuries to agricultural workers, farmers and rural communities worldwide.

The call comes as governments meet in Geneva for the 6th Conference of Parties (COP) to the Rotterdam Convention – one of the major international treaties for control of pesticides.

The IUF will join with NGOs Berne Declaration and Pesticides Action Network plus 92 other organizations to call on governments who are party to the Convention to include paraquat within its scope. This will mean governments can prevent imports and restrict the use of paraquat – a significant step towards getting a total ban.

The IUF will be monitoring the COP which runs from April 28 to May 10 and will be ready to ask affiliates to lobby recalcitrant governments.