She says its manufacture in the UK and export should be stopped. “I wouldn’t want my son, who’s got farming qualifications, ending up like his father.”
Paraquat has not been authorised for use in the EU since a court ruling in 2007. That is still the case in the UK after Brexit but it is still made – under the brand name Gramoxone – at Syngenta’s plant in Huddersfield. It is exported to countries such as the US, Japan and Australia, with a fifth of exports going to the developing world.
In the US, nearly 900 farmers and field workers have joined forces to sue the manufacturer, claiming not only is there a link between Paraquat and Parkinson’s, but that Syngenta has deliberately hidden the health risks from the authorities.
Syngenta rejects the claims made in the remaining multidistrict litigation case, which is due to come to court later this year.
The company’s most recent financial statement shows that the company has already paid $187.5m into a settlement fund. But it said the company believes that all of these claims are without merit and the payment is simply to keep the claims from going any further.
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