Group calls for recall of glyphosate products

The organic farming advocacy network Go Organic Davao City (GODC) called for the withdrawal of glyphosate products from agricultural stores in the city, citing World Health Organization (WHO) findings that the chemical, which is commonly used by farmers to destroy weeds, is carcinogenic.
“The World Health Organization’s assessment of the health risks of using glyphosate as a herbicide validates what health advocates and organic farming practitioners have long been saying: this chemical is a danger to both health and environment,” GODC member and IDIS executive director Ann Fuertes said in a statement.
Fuertes said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, created a Working Group of 17 experts from 11 countries that assessed the carcinogenicity of five insecticides, including glyphosate.
She said in its evaluation report released last March 20, 2015, it classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
According to Fuertes, this means that the group discovered that there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. “This is very alarming, particularly since glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in the Philippines,” she said.
Glyphosate is sold locally under some of the following names: Monsanto Roundup, Sting, Rodeo, Muster, Tumbleweed, Spasor, Sonic, Glifonox, Glialka, Glycel, Rondo, and Wipeout .The Philippine Fertilizers and Pesticide Authority (FPA) lists some 70 glyphosate products in its registration inventory, most of which carry the global Monsanto corporation brand.
The regional environmental group Third World Network noted that the agricultural use of glyphosate has increased sharply since the introduction of crops which have been genetically modified to make them resistant to glyphosate. In a briefing paper, TWN said glyphosate “is also used in forestry, urban and home applications. It has been detected in the air during spraying, in water, and in food.”
Fuertes said worldwide, Brazil, El Salvador, and Sri Lanka are already considering a ban on this chemical, citing the danger it poses to agricultural lands.
In Mindanao, the use of glyphosate is linked to the production of RR corn. Corn farmers use glyphosate in conjunction with the planting of Monsanto’s Round up Ready corn which has been genetically modified to withstand the herbicide.
Fuertes said there is currently no available data on RR corn production and glyphosate use in Davao City but reiterated the need for local government agencies to take a proactive stance on this issue to protect the health of farmers and the watersheds.
“Farmers need to be aware of the dangers of using this herbicide. The Fertilizers and Pesticide Authority (FPA) should cancel the registration of this pesticide and manufacturers should recall the stocks that have already been distributed to their outlets. Similarly, we urge distributors to stop selling herbicides which use glyphosate as an active ingredient,” she said.
“The City Agriculturist’s Office should also step up the implementation of its organic agriculture program so that farmers will have an alternative. Organic corn is a high-value crop; farmers stand to gain more if they shift to organic corn production,” she added. CHENEEN R. CAPON