Vermont is first state to ban toxic herbicide paraquat, as others may follow

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

By: Kevin Hardy - May 30, 2026 4:45 am

Vermont became the first state to ban the use of the highly toxic herbicide paraquat after Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed Democratic-sponsored legislation this week.

Vermont’s new law bans the sale or use of paraquat without explicit approval from the secretary of agriculture. Widely used to control weeds in major crops across the country, that chemical is linked to Parkinson’s disease.

More than a dozen states have recently introduced legislation to ban or limit the use of paraquat, according to The Council of State Governments.

“With Vermont leading the way, states across the country now have a clear path to end the use of one of the most toxic herbicides still on the market,” Geoff Horsfield, legislative director for the Environmental Working Group, said in a news release. “This is a turning point in the effort to protect public health from a chemical that has been tied to devastating neurological harm.”


A Utah farmer harvests crops on his family’s farm in Weber County in September 2025. Vermont became the first state to ban the use of a toxic herbicide used on crops across the country. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/30/repub/vermont-is-first-state-to-ban-toxic-herbicide-paraquat-as-others-may-follow/

[displacedvermoter]

1. Waiting for Dept of Agriculture lawsuit to drop soon...

[MichMan]

2. It was widely condemned when I was in college 50 years ago.

As a health hazard for being used to eradicate pot plants

[QED]

3. I remember - We like pot...

We like pot,
We like it a lot
Please don't spray it
With paraquat.

[travelingthrulife]

5. I remember. I thought it was banned ages ago.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Banned in the EU in 2007, and in some members before that

At least 74 countries do not authorise paraquat in their markets, with bans, phase-outs, and withdrawals from the market. National and regional bans and phase-outs were effective at reducing paraquat poisoning and deaths. Restrictions on the use and application of paraquat, however, did not always result in a significant reduction in poisoning or suicide mortality, and many countries introduced bans after restrictions proved ineffective.
...
European countries were the first to ban paraquat due to its high acute toxicity, irreversible toxic effects, and risk of unintentional poisoning (Norway (1981), Sweden (1983), Hungary (1991), Austria (1993), Denmark (1995), and Finland3 (1996)) [73]. A regional-level European Union (EU) wide ban on paraquat applicable to all 27 member countries in 2007

In Brazil, in 2015, the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) concluded that paraquat should be banned due to the high incidence of acute poisoning and the association with Parkinson's disease [41, 74]. In 2017, the Collegiate Directorship Resolution 177/2017 imposed a complete ban on paraquat starting in 2020 [75]. The preceding three years were a phase-out period to allow businesses to gradually stop paraquat use [3, 40].

China, the largest paraquat producer in the world, announced its intention to ban paraquat in 2012 due to its chronic toxicity and adverse health events, including suicides. In 2014, the government stopped registration and licensing of the liquid solutions of paraquat; all domestic sales and use of paraquat stopped in 2016. A paraquat gel product was registered in 2016 and withdrawn in 2020. The production of paraquat for export purposes is still allowed [76].

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12462389/

[Danmel]

4. There is a bill to ban it in NY

But session is winding down, so it may not happen this year.