AUSTRALIA should follow the lead of more than 50 countries and ban toxic endosulfan pesticide, the NSW Greens say.
"Endosulfan is a highly toxic pesticide," NSW Greens MP John Kaye said today.
"Consumption is known to interfere with the central nervous system. It has also been linked to New Zealand's high incidence of breast cancer," he said.
"It is long lasting and accumulates in the food system."
New Zealand banned endosulfan in December, leaving Australia as one of the last countries in the developed world to condone its use.
Mr Kaye said endosulfan had been banned in 27 European Union countries, in many Middle Eastern and West African nations and in Cambodia, the Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The Greens also want Food Standards Australia and New Zealand to set a zero tolerance level for endosulfan residues in food sold in Australia.
Mr Kaye said the continuing use of endosulfans also threatened Australian exports.
"The problems of endosulfans in our food not only threatens the health of Australians but also puts at risk our ability to export products," he told ABC Radio.
"We've already had problems with Australian beef being contaminated with endosulfans a decade ago. We now have risks to our export of fruit and vegetables."
He said the NSW Government should act.
"NSW Food Minister Ian Macdonald should step in and demand that consumers in this state receive the same standard of protection as New Zealand and 50 other countries," he said.
AAP
