Ditch glyphosate now

August 2016

Photo Creative Commons

Unable to agree on whether to re-license glyphosate herbicide or ban it, the European Commission has finally taken a middle path and awarded glyphosate an 18-month reprieve. It has had to balance risking the wrath of America where the chemical is an integral part of major commodity crops, (soya, maize, canola, alfalfa, sugar beet, and cotton) against risks to the health of the people of Europe.

However, Commissioner Andruikaitis has reminded Member States that:

"once an active substance is approved or renewed at EU level - it is then up to Member States to authorise the final products (the herbicides and pesticides themselves) put on their respective markets ... The Member States who wish not to use glyphosate based products have the possibility to restrict their use. They do not need to hde behind the Commission's decision".

That means it's up to you to tell your government what to do (you can use www.writetothem.com)

Given the rate at which fresh scientific warnings on the safety of glyphosate are hitting the journals, you should have no difficulty pointing out to your government that the evidence of harm is just too weighty to ignore.


And, there's no time to waste: once Brexit has been accomplished, we'll have little defence against American GM crops and their associated chemicals.


SOURCE

• Glypho-gate: the saga continues - but for how long? Thin Ice, Issue 40, June 2016