Thailand Overturns Proposed Glyphosate Ban

December 18, 2019

In November 2019, Thailand’s National Hazardous Substance Committee (NHSC) announced that it would no longer be proceeding with its proposed ban on glyphosate (RoundUp).  The ban was set to take effect from December 1, 2019.  The proposed ban and withdrawal of all Thai maximum residue levels for glyphosate (establishing a zero-tolerance) had the potential to impact many crops imported into Thailand, including potatoes. The decision to overturn the ban came after a meeting between the Thai government and a domestic coalition of agricultural groups and follows strong opposition from domestic and overseas stakeholders, including the U.S. potato industry. Thailand’s proposed ban on two other crop protection products, paraquat and chlorpyrifos, remains scheduled, but the effective date is delayed until mid-2020.

Potatoes USA’s Global Review Database has a section for chemical residue levels specific to potato maximum residue levels allowed in specific foreign countries.  This information is not public, so a password is needed to access it.

Potatoes USA also provides a pesticide label-active ingredient comparison chart containing the names of crop protection products growers are familiar with – compared to the active ingredient(s) associated with that product.  For example, Roundup is the trade name for the active ingredient glyphosate. 

Contact Amy Burdett with questions, Amy@PotatoesUSA.com.