Glyphosate... Why is it so controversial?

Glyphosate facts

Glyphosate is the world’s most widely sold weedkiller.
It was first registered for use in the U.S. in 1974.
There are over 750 products containing glyphosate for sale in the United States.
It’s a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill most plants. It prevents the plants from making certain proteins that are needed for plant growth.

How is glyphosate used?

“Many farmers routinely use Roundup and other herbicides to clear their fields of weeds before crops emerge in the spring. But what’s more alarming is they’re also using glyphosate on crops shortly before they are harvested, in order to desiccate (dry out) the plants and make them easier to harvest.

Glyphosate kills parts of the crop that haven’t ripened evenly, and dries the crop. This allows Combine harvesters to move more quickly and cover more ground during harvest, and may reduce drying costs. But applying glyphosate so close to harvest makes the likelihood of finding residues in food even higher.”

Why is Glyphosate used?

Consumers don’t like ‘weeds’ or wildflowers as others call them. Glyphosate is a quick way to kill all these unwanted plants and make the area ‘neat and tidy’. Compare these two pictures taken in my village, of an area sprayed with chemicals and just a little further down the road some ‘weeds’ left to grow, which will feed many insects and bees.

plants killed by glyphosate — Dead, ugly plants

without glyphosate — Alive, colourful plants

Farmers want to control the growth of ‘weeds’ on their land for the following reasons…

To summarise:

Reducing water / fertiliser use – weeds use water and fertiliser that could otherwise be utilised by the crop being grown.
Improving the crop yield – with fewer plants competing for the nutrients in the soil and the water etc, the crop yield will be higher.
Easier to harvest – some weeds can grow very large making harvesting more difficult and costly.
Quality of harvest – customers want a ‘pure’ product, not one that contains elements of other plants.
Weeds will reproduce – if weeds are allowed to seed, they reproduce and become a greater problem in future years.

– https://jploveslife.com/agriculture/why-use-a-herbicide/

What’s the problem?

Roundup, which contains glyphosate, has been in the news numerous times over the last years. There are concerns that it reduces biodiversity and causes cancer amongst other things. Here are just some of the headlines concerning the bad reputation that this controversial herbicide has…

Canada – Glyphosate Herbicide Roundup Triggers Loss of Biodiversity Among Freshwater Algae

“In their experiments, scientists found that while some populations developed resistance to the herbicide and were able to survive exposure at high levels, this came at a cost, with a 40 percent loss in biodiversity.”

Australia – Decision on glyphosate class actions looms

“THE FEDERAL Court and the Victorian Supreme Court will liaise on March 23 to assess the situation regarding two separate class actions lodged against Bayer alleging its glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup had caused cancer.

Both class actions allege Roundup, formerly made by Monsanto which Bayer acquired in 2018, is unsafe and that label instructions failed to provide an appropriate warning for users.”

New Delhi – Centre considering Kerala govt’s proposal to ban Glyphosate pesticide

“The Centre on Tuesday informed the Parliament that it is considering Kerala government’s proposal to ban highly poisonous pesticide ‘Glyphosate’ and all its derivatives throughout the state.”

Scotland – Community campaign persuades Edinburgh council to halt use of chemical weedkiller in a pilot this year

“COUNCIL chiefs have agreed to stop using a controversial weedkiller in the Balerno area this summer after a passionate appeal from the community.

Campaigners from Pesticide-free Balerno told councillors how local people felt health issues which they and their pets had experienced were related to the spraying of glyphosate by the council.”

What’s the alternative?

Being a bit of a greenie I’ll always recommend natural solutions over manmade chemical ones. There’s no denying that there’s a place for manmade items and not all manmade chemicals are dangerous, however there is so much controversy about glyphosate that it would be stupid to just carry on obliterating everything without thinking of the consequences…

Fortunately there are alternatives out there, and more are on the way.

Alternatives

Don’t use any herbicides – this is not necessarily the best option for farmers as crop yields have to be taken into account. For gardens and allotments though I see no reason why herbicides are required as you can manually remove any pesky ‘weeds’.
Use a non-toxic herbicide – organic farms often use herbicides but they use a much healthier and less toxic option than herbicides containing glyphosate.

What can you do?

Companies claim that they keep selling harmful products because consumers want them. It’s the same reason councils say they clear wildflowers from roadside verges, because people complain if they don’t keep things ‘neat and tidy’. It’s time to take action. Email supermarkets and garden centres and ask them to take Roundup and other products containing glyphosate off their shelves. The more people that ask them to remove these toxic products, the more likely they’ll do something about it. Also contact your local council and ask them what their stance is on using glyphosate and ask them to stop using it and tell them why. (At the same time ask them to leave roadside verges so insects have wildflowers!)

Do you want a healthier garden? Stop using pesticides and herbicides and allow insects and wildlife to thrive…