An animal welfare organisation in Fiji is urging government to ban the use of paraquat, a highly toxic and non-selective herbicide.
Animals Fiji says despite being banned in many countries, because of its toxicity to animals as well as plants, paraquat is still widely used for spraying weeds and grass in sugarcane farms in Fiji and as an instant insect killer.
It is says it is also illegally used for baiting dogs causing a slow and painful death.
In a petition to be presented to Fiji's ministry of Agriculture, Animals Fiji argues that if paraquat is banned in Fiji, it will not affect the ability to spray because there are other herbicides such as Malathion which is safe for children and dogs.
An online petition has so far gathered about 1100 supporters.
