Rogers, Sarah, Zhao, Yue, Graham, Sonia, Wilmsen, Brooke, and Wang, Zoe Ju-Han (2026) Pesticide Supply Chains From China to Australia: Examining Paraquat Amid the Global Pesticide Complex. Journal of Agrarian Change. e70098. (In Press)

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Abstract

Following recent calls to deepen understanding of the Global Pesticide Complex, this article delves into the China-to-Australia supply chain of a single herbicide—paraquat. First released in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, acutely toxic paraquat is now primarily produced in China. It is widely used in Australian broadacre farming, where, in response to the growth of no-till cultivation and rising herbicide resistance, it is used as a ‘double knock’ strategy with glyphosate. Through interviews and secondary data collection on the China-to-Australia paraquat supply chain, we connect upstream and downstream processes, examining the three nodes of production, distribution and use. We find a complex and at times slippery materialisation of the Global Pesticide Complex enabled by cheap Chinese formulations but also profoundly shaped by Australia's regulatory politics, specific farming practices and environmental conditions.

Item ID:	92357
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1471-0366
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Agrarian Change published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Funders:	Australian Research Council (ARC)
Projects and Grants:	ARC DE200100234
Date Deposited:	17 Jun 2026 22:53
FoR Codes:	44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4406 Human geography > 440603 Economic geography @ 100%
SEO Codes:	28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280101 Expanding knowledge in the agricultural, food and veterinary sciences @ 20% 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280123 Expanding knowledge in human society @ 80%
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