The European Commission is poised to make the controversial decision to renew ten-year approval of the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto-Bayer’s Roundup product line, which has come under fire in recent years for its association with cancer.
Although the use of glyphosate on crops poses a food safety risk and its use should be curbed, completely banning the substance too early may lead to farmers using chemical alternatives that are just as harmful to human and environmental health, according to experts from Wageniningen University and Research (WUR).
Based on an assessment of the impact of glyphosate on the health of humans, animals, and the environment, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has determined that there do not exist any critical areas of concern.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being sued by the Center for Food Safety (CFS), Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), and Alianza Nacional De Campesinas Inc. for the unlawful reapproval of toxic herbicides used in food agriculture. The chemicals in question, Enlist One and Enlist Duo, are sprayed on corn, soybeans, and cotton genetically engineered (GE) to resist the herbicides.
