Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ban the export of paraquat to India.

The export of paraquat from Great Britain (GB) to India and other countries is regulated under the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) regulatory regime for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals. The explicit consent of the importing country is required before export of paraquat can take place. This exchange of information that PIC provides allows the importing countries to make informed decisions on the import of those chemicals and on how to handle and use them safely. This process is kept under review.

Companies intending to export paraquat and other listed chemicals from the GB must notify the importing country via the exporter's Designated National Authority. For GB, the Designated National Authority is The Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

The UK is committed to working internationally including through the OECD, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and United Nations Environment Assembly on initiatives to support the safe management of pesticides.