Monsanto Verdict

[mothhawk]

The global use of glyphosate is shocking. In 2014, agricultural use was 747 million kgs. that's in ONE year. That doesn't include the 79 million kgs used for non-agricultural use. By my reckoning, enough to spray 2kgs on every acre of habitable land on the planet.

There are now 32 known glyphosate resistant weeds, and companies are busy developing more HT, GE crops so they can spray stronger concentrations of the stuff.

[Jay-ell]

have they got round to applying it to water yet?

https://www.kimharding.net/blog/?p=1653

They’d have to understand what it means to give a verdict,if you’re unsure you discuss with everyone on the jury & come to a decision with all the evidence,depends what kind of person you are if you bring your own prejudices into it,you can’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEYmhZrS4PU

[4Shoes]

This is an interesting case because it was against the Chemical Company and not the Employer - perhaps he was self employed. It is a weed killer, so will be toxic. Expect it will go the same way as rodenticides and all will need to be licenced.

Again - not supporting rodenticides, but it is the case of the correct tool for the job. Not the same tool for every job.

[Stan79]

I use it sparingly and nowhere near fruit and veg. Driveways get an occasional treatment when it isn't windy and i wear gloves, use a decent face mask and jump in the shower afterwards. I also use it in a controlled manner to get rid of specific problem plants - eg - ivy

I drill holes into the stem and inject the glyphosate into the stem with a syringe or pipette in concentrated form.

I'm very convinced it's nasty stuff. Anything that works that well on killing plants cannot be good for us!

[Thelma Sanders]

It's interesting (to me anyway) that the trial wasn't about Glyphosate per se, but about 'Roundup' - which includes other additives in the mix, as well.

[rary]

Quite recently I have noticed that a good number of farmers fields have been cleared by the use of weed killer, and then reseeded with grass, then animals put into the fields, so if you drink milk eat meat or consume any product that has additives from a farm, there is a good probability you have had some connection to weed killers, and as for the additives to food and the Chemicals used in the manufacture of them could frighten you. Me I eat the lot, have you seen some of the flowers bees visit to make honey

[bikermike]

Juries can be swayed. They can also refused to be swayed. They are funny things, but nobody has come up with a better approach.

As someone said above, this stuff is meant to kill things - of course it's dangerous.

the fact that it probably does get into your food chain to some extent is no reason to not seek to minimise it.

IMO, it's a tool for certain jobs, but it's used as a labour-saver, not because it's the right tool for the job. The cost of cheap food is paid for in many ways.

[Snoop Puss]

^It does get into the food chain. See this on bread:
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...reads-uk-crops

[veggiechicken]

Bayer bought out Monsanto and ditched their name because of its negative connotations. How long before Roundup is rebranded??

[DannyK]

^It does get into the food chain. See this on bread:
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...reads-uk-crops

They say "traces" but fail to quantify anything. I take such reports with a trace of salt!

There is a very good programme on Radio 4 from time to time called "More or Less" which debunks the ways we are frequently misled by the way statistics are presented. We need trusted fact checkers.

[bikermike]

just because some stats turn out to be made up doesn't prove they all are...

[1Bee]

I think it behoves us to be measured, discerning and check our facts. Also to beware of sources with a known bias one way or another.

It's one of the things I think ought to be taught in schools - ditch complex grammar, please, and teach discernment and evaluation of sources.... Oh, and how to run a budget.

Anyway.

We need to think about proportions, harmful levels and avoid absolute arguments such as 'if it kills something it must be toxic'. Water kills weeds. As does the pinch of salt we need to take reports with... After all, we worry about the very minimal exposure to carcinogenic substances in pesticides, then go on our merry way smoking, drinking, eating mushrooms, carrots and peanut butter.

At least we're all likely to be getting our five a day and being active, two of the main preventative strategies for preventing cancer. Go us!

But one of the things I love about The Vine is its ability to provide a welcoming place for many different approaches to gardening, opinions and values. We might not always agree with each other, but that's part of the fun. ;-)

For the record, I have used roundup, I think about three times in my life, for spot treatment of difficult weeds and not in cropping ground.

[DannyK]

just because some stats turn out to be made up doesn't prove they all are...

It's not that they are made up, it's the way they are presented. There may be say a one in 10 million chance of something happening, which on a certain event may change to one in one million--still very low odds. But it might be presented as the chance has increased tenfold without reference to base figures, which gives distorted picture.

Watch out for words like regular, which means at a fixed interval, not often!

[Jay-ell]

It's not that they are made up, it's the way they are presented. There may be say a one in 10 million chance of something happening, which on a certain event may change to one in one million--still very low odds. But it might be presented as the chance has increased tenfold without reference to base figures, which gives distorted picture.

Watch out for words like regular, which means at a fixed interval, not often!

Million to one shots come up nine times out of ten

[1Bee]

It's a fact.