Pablo Balbontin
SPANISH green party Equo is demanding an ‘immediate ban’ on the herbicide Glyphosate which has been linked to terminal cancer.
The call comes after American courts ordered the manufacturer to compensate a victim who fell prey to the disease after exposure to the product.
Developed in the 1970s by Monsanto, now owned by pharmaceutical giant Bayer, Glyphosate has been denounced on multiple occasions due to its negative effects on the environment and human health.
Based on official government data, ecologists claim that at least one of Spain’s three major rivers is contaminated with the substance.
Equo pointed to Bayer’s difficulty in getting its manufacturing license renewed in Europe. “It’s no coincidence that the European Parliament blocked Monsanto which has been accused of interfering with scientific reports about Glyphosate”.
However the European Commission maintains that use of the herbicide in the EU is based on ‘scientific evidence’, adding that every country is free to use it or ban it as they choose.
Carlos Vicent, Bayer’s Spain and Portugal spokesman, commented: “The court’s decision doesn’t change the fact that more than 800 scientific research reports state that Glyphosate doesn’t cause cancer”.
The authorities are being too cautious. The “safe” limits set are far to low. Clinical trials and research independent of Monsanto over many years have shown that to receive a does of glyphosate that would even slightly raise the risk of ill effects you would need to eat an impossible amount of cereal. For the authorities it is a case of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing alas.