JEFFERSON CITY — A bill that would ban the use of paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide linked to the development of Parkinson’s disease, was heard Wednesday in the Missouri House Committee on General Laws.

House Bill 2844, sponsored by Rep. Sherri Gallick, R-Belton, would ban all use of paraquat in the state starting Jan. 1, 2027. The bill would allow the Department of Agriculture to continue its use in limited quantities for research purposes.

“Paraquat is a herbicide that is highly toxic and has come under intense scrutiny,” Gallick said. “It has been linked to serious health risks that are dangerous if misused.”

During her testimony to the committee, Gallick made clear the bill is not intended to be anti-agriculture.

“I wanted to make sure that this bill was very narrow in scope,” Gallick said. “It is about paraquat and paraquat only. I am very much against any bleed over or any other herbicides or pesticides coming into this.”

Missouri is one of 10 states considering a paraquat ban. While the substance is federally legal, paraquat-based products are considered “Restricted Use Pesticides” by the Environmental Protection Agency, meaning personal use and acquisition are illegal. Paraquat is limited to commercial agricultural use by certified applicators. The herbicide is currently banned in over 70 countries.

While paraquat is lethal if ingested in small doses and has no antidote, deaths from ingestion of the substance are rare. The primary concern is the herbicide’s link to the development of Parkinson’s disease, a condition that causes negative symptoms for both physical and neurological health. Studies have linked the use of paraquat to a significant increase in the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Grant Niver, senior state government relations manager with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, spoke in favor of the bill, citing years of research identifying the herbicide’s risks and the fact that paraquat’s use is banned in the same countries that manufacture it.

“Over four decades of research have shown that people who work or live near areas where paraquat is applied have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s,” Niver said. “This is not abstract risk. It affects farmers, farm workers and families and communities in rural Missouri.”

The bill saw opposition from several organizations representing farmers, as well as Rep. Doyle Justus, R-Troy, a farmer himself, who cited the use of paraquat in the production of his best soy bean crop.

“Today it’s paraquat, last year it was another chemical,” Justus said. “Farmers need to have tools in their toolbox to raise their crops.”

Maxine Gill, policy coordinator for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, also spoke in favor of the bill, noting that the herbicide is already banned from use entirely in some places, such as golf courses.

“If it’s too dangerous for golfers, it’s certainly too dangerous for our farmers and rural residents,” Gill said.