Friday, May 03, 2019

EPA says glyphosate (Roundup) doesn't cause cancer; ag editor pokes wry fun at the agency over the announcement

Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup and similar herbicides, doesn't cause cancer and is otherwise safe to use when used properly, according to a review published this week by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, the agency found that the chemical can harm the environment and recommended measures to help farmers protect pollinators, reduce the incidence of glyphosate-resistant weeds, and better target pests with the appropriate pesticide, Todd Neeley reports for DTN/The Progressive Farmer.

Critics of the popular herbicide maintain that glyphosate is dangerous, a claim bolstered after recent jury verdicts that awarded millions to plaintiffs who said longtime glyphosate exposure caused their cancer, Neeley reports.

Editor-in-Chief Greg Horstmeier of DTN/The Progressive Farmer commented in a column that the review made him "gasp, then giggle, then seethe," mostly because the EPA was ruling on human health issues instead of sticking to environmental issues: "I gasped, because here was our 'environmental' watchdog group, actually making a comment related to herbicides that was about the 'environment.' What a novel thought!"

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