Syngenta will stop selling paraquat in Australia after strict new safety rules, but generic versions of the controversial herbicide will remain available

FILE - The Syngenta logo is seen outside the company's headquarters, Feb. 7, 2007, in Basel, Switzerland. (Georgios Kefalas/Keystone via AP, File) Syngenta’s decision to stop selling paraquat in Australia marks a major shift in the country’s herbicide market. The move comes after the national regulator tightened safety rules on one of the world’s most controversial weed killers, a chemical banned in more than 70 countries and long associated in public debate with Parkinson’s disease.For Australian farmers, the news is not as simple as a ban or a total disappearance. Paraquat will still be available through generic suppliers, but Syngenta’s exit raises bigger questions about product choice, market stability and how growers will adapt to the new rules.Why paraquat is back in the spotlightParaquat has been used in Australian agriculture since 1964, especially in broad-acre cropping such as grains, sugarcane and cotton. It is a non-selective contact herbicide, which means it kills a wide range of weeds quickly, making it useful in many farming situations.But paraquat has also been controversial for decades because of its high toxicity and the concern that exposure may be linked to Park...