herbicide
EU expected to extend approval of glyphosate for 15 years
Experts from the 28 nations of the European Union "appear set to endorse a European Commission proposal to extend authorization of glyphosate for 15 years, until 2031," said Reuters.
Scientists call for independent review of Roundup
A growing body of evidence shows that regulators’ assumptions about the safety of glyphosate, commonly sold as Roundup, are based on outdated science, according to a team of environmental and public-health experts in a statement appearing in the journal Environmental Health.
Farmers lean heavily on glyphosate; U.S. averages 13 ounces an acre
U.S. farmers use glyphosate more widely and more intensively than any other weedkiller, says researcher Charles Benbrook in a paper published today in the journal Environmental Sciences Europe. Benbrook says growers applied nearly 250 million pounds (125.4 million kg) of the chemical in 2014.
Monsanto sues California to keep glyphosate off cancer list
Monsanto sued California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), demanding that the agency not add glyphosate to the state’s list of known carcinogens, reports Reuters.
Farm groups ask EPA to allow sale of Dow herbicide
Farmers need "new technology to address the weed control challenges on U.S. farms now," and the EPA should make sure a new weedkiller is available for the spring planting season, said five large U.S. ag groups.
Dow sells part of its herbicide business
Dow, a major ag chemical company, is selling part of its herbicide business to Gowan Co. amid continued talk of consolidation in the sector, says Agrimoney. "The deal will include the trademark for Treflan, an herbicide that is used on field corn, cotton, and some fruits and vegetables."
EPA withdraws approval of Dow’s Enlist Duo herbicide
The government withdrew its approval of Dow's Enlist Duo herbicide because the combination of two weedkillers is more powerful than originally believed and could endanger "non-target plants." The EPA acted just over a year after approving the herbicide, a combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate, the most widely used weedkiller in the world.
New review needed of glyphosate safety, says NEJM column
In a column in the New England Journal of Medicine, two scientists called for a new U.S. safety assessment of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world, said Reuters.
German agency backs safety of glyphosate
The widely used herbicide glyphosate "could get a new life in Europe after being deemed safe by a key assessment largely based on classified industry papers," says the Guardian.
USDA approves GE cotton that tolerates 2,4-D weedkiller
The USDA said it has decided to approve cultivation of cotton that has been genetically engineered by Dow AgroScience to tolerate the weedkiller 2,4-D as well as glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world, said Agri-Pulse.
Groups seeking GMO-label laws target glyphosate
The Just Label It campaign for mandatory labeling of food made with genetically modified organisms "rolled out a trio of academics on Wednesday in a bid to raise public awareness of the public health and environmental costs of herbicides used in the production of genetically engineered crops," said Agri-Pulse.
Widely used herbicide glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic”
The herbicide glyphosate, widely used in U.S. crop production, especially for genetically engineered corn and soybeans, is "probably carcinogenic to humans," says the specialized cancer agency of the UN World Health Organization. The herbicide is known under the brand name RoundUp in the United States. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed glyphosate and four other organophosates on the recommendation of an advisory committee that dozens of pesticides should be examined because...
WHO advisers analyze weedkiller 2,4-D for cancer risk
A panel of two dozen scientists begins a week-long meeting today in Lyon, France, to "analyze scientific findings regarding links between cancer in humans and the herbicide known as 2,4-D," says Reuters.
On the farm, “a death trap” of ordinance and Agent Orange
Four decades after the war in Vietnam ended, farmers in Quang Tri province, one of the most heavily bombed places in the history of warfare, still struggle with the threat of unexploded ordinance and with the health effects of Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide and defoliant, says The Nation.
Dow gets cold shoulder for its 2,4-D seed technology
Two major seed companies say they don't plan to use Dow's genetics that allow soybeans to tolerate the herbicides 2,4-D and glyphosate, says Bloomberg.
Monsanto experiments again with GE wheat
More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.
USDA approves GE cotton and soy that tolerate dicamba
The government approved cultivation of genetically engineered cotton and soybean varieties from Monsanto that tolerate the weedkillers dicamba and glufosinate. So-called super weeds that are resistant to glyphosate, a widely used herbicide known as Roundup, have prompted work on biotech plants that can be matched with other herbicides.USDA said a Federal Register notice of its decision was scheduled to appear on Tuesday, the effective date for deregulation of the new Monsanto strains.
Dow had China in mind with US sales plan for new GE seeds
An official at Dow AgroSciences says the company decided to restrict sales of its new genetically engineered Enlist corn and soybeans after "extensive talks with U.S. grain leaders who fear roiling trade with China," says Reuters.
Trade ruling suggests weedkiller dumping hurt U.S. market
The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled, in a 4-0 vote, there was a reasonable indication that domestic herbicide manufacturers were hurt by dumping of imported 2,4-D weedkiller from China and India. The ITC vote allows the Commerce Department to continue its investigation of the imports.