House committee report advances bill to phase out paraquat over safety concerns

Representative O'Brien, reporting for the House Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Committee, laid out why the committee recommends amending H.739, a strike‑all bill to phase out and ban the herbicide paraquat. "Paraquat is highly toxic," O'Brien said, adding: "If you actually ingest a teaspoon, you're dead." He told members the measure balances public‑health concerns with farming needs by permitting limited, tracked use under Secretary of Agriculture permits during a phase‑out and by funding studies of alternatives.

O'Brien described paraquat as a fast‑acting, broad‑spectrum, non‑selective contact herbicide that remains in common use for orchards and certain commercial crops outside Vermont. He cited scientific and liability developments — including manufacturers’ litigation and production decisions — and told the chamber that 70 countries have banned paraquat. The amendment reported by the committee would create a phased ban with reporting requirements, a permit process for narrowly defined agricultural uses, and a study of alternatives through the Agricultural Innovation Board. O'Brien told the House the committee voted 8‑0‑0 to recommend the amendment.

During debate the committee’s presenter emphasized public‑health evidence and a measured phase‑out. The bill sets a ban date in statute in the reported language and directs the Agency of Agriculture to issue permits and to report back to the legislature on any continued use. The House adopted the committee’s amendment by voice vote and ordered the bill read a third time.

Next steps: H.739 was amended as recommended by the committee and third reading was ordered; the transcript records the committee recommendation and the House voice votes advancing the bill. The bill will return for third reading and final passage votes on a later floor day.