Paraquat is to be banned throughout the EU, after a European Union court last week accepted the view that it does not meet EU health standards.

The Court of First Instance criticised EU regulators for not checking more carefully whether paraquat was safe for human and animals before it authorised it for sale in 2003.

The ruling is a victory for Sweden - supported by Denmark, Austria and Finland, which was angered by having to lift some of its strict environmental controls when it joined the EU in 1995 to conform with EU free trade rules.

The court said the European Commission, which is in charge of clearing herbicides and pesticides for sale, was wrong to say there were no signs that the chemical could cause diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson's.

It said regulators should have looked at studies on the subject - even though the chemical producers that asked for approval had not mentioned them in their application. Another study on levels of exposure should also have been assessed, it said.

EU requirements on using paraquat don't go far enough, the court said, referring to evidence that people spraying the chemical in EU-recommended conditions may be exposed to more of it than EU standards allow. It said these studies supported doubts about the safety of paraquat.

It also criticised the Commission's failure to check thoroughly the effect on paraquat on hares and birds that would be exposed to the chemical.

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