brand logo

Lifting glyphosate import ban challenged

08 Sep 2022

  • CEJ files FR petition in SC naming Prez, Agri/Health Ministers, DGHS, AG, Pesticides Registrar, CEA, cites health/financial risks
BY Buddhika Samaraweera   The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking an order suspending the implementation of the recent gazette notification which allows the importation of glyphosate which is a weedicide/herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds and grasses. Speaking to The Morning, CEJ Executive Director Hemantha Withanage said that the CEJ had filed an FR petition with the SC, seeking an order to prevent glyphosate from being imported as per the gazette notification which was issued by the President and Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 5 August, which allows the same. President Wickremesinghe, Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena, Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam PC, the Registrar of Pesticides, and the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) have been named as respondents in the petition. In the petition, the CEJ pointed out that the frequent and indiscriminate application of highly hazardous pesticides and herbicides in high concentrations has often been irrational and posed serious health and financial risks to the farmers in the country. It has also been pointed out that there are possibilities of the contamination of animal products through the use of agrochemicals, especially in areas where there are not many grazing lands. Withanage further said that as data shows that the glyphosate ban in 2017 has had no impact on the average paddy production, lifting the ban without considering the scientific facts is not acceptable. He also said that the lifting of such will result in actions harmful to the health and life of citizens, which has been pointed out in various studies. Wickremesinghe, in terms of the powers vested in him as the Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies Minister under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act as amended, had lifted the ban on the import of glyphosate with effect from 5 August. According to the relevant Government notification, the special import license regulations imposed on N-(Phosphonomethyl)glycine and its salts and derivatives (glyphosate) through a gazette notification dated 9 November 2017, had been removed. Meanwhile, when questioned as to whether the Agriculture Ministry would work to import glyphosate for farmers with the lifting of the ban imposed on its import, an official of the Ministry recently told The Morning that in the face of the prevailing foreign exchange shortage, it is difficult for the Government to bear the cost of importing glyphosate and that therefore, it is planned to allow the private sector to import Ggyphosate. He also said that the Ministry would, however, work to regulate the prices and quality of glyphosate that would be imported by the private sector.  


More News..