Glyphosate use under review?
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is deciding whether there are grounds to reasses the use of the herbicide glyphosate in NZ.
A move in the EU over licensing the use of glyphosate is bothering the farming industry.
While 16 European states say they would be prepared to vote for a licence renewal of up to 10 years, France and Italy plan to vote ‘no’ and Germany will abstain.
The doubts arise from a WHO call for a ban on the product, prompted by a 2015 report by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which said “Glyphosate is probably a human carcinogen”.
But much of the science in the study is said to have been de-bunked -- the results’ statistical significance did not have the necessary accuracy.
The European Commission on November 9 proposed a renewal of the licence for an interim five years, allowing more time to understand the perceived problem. A poll of the EU’s 28 member states resulted in a ‘no opinion’ conclusion because a majority vote for or against could not be reached.
With the licence set to expire on December 15, if no agreement to re-issue is reached EU member states will be forced to remove products containing glyphosate from sale, which will cause uproar in the rural and municipal sectors.
The Green lobby is being accused of politicising the relicensing, based on a populist vote rather than relying on good science. The secretary-general of the European Landowners Organisation (ELO), Thierry I’Escaille, says European politicians appear to have lost their understanding of agriculture.
“For so many to disregard science in favour of blogs and tweets has taken us back to a time when we may as well dunk scientists in water to see if they are witches or wizards, before we consider what they have to say.”
Meanwhile, a report for New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Agency by the National Poisons Centre concluded that glyphosate is “unlikely” to be a carcinogen and should not be classified as a mutagen or carcinogen under the HSNO Act.
Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.
Shipping disruption caused by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea has so far not impacted fertiliser prices or supply on farm.
The opportunity to spend more time on farm while providing a dedicated service for shareholders attracted new environmental manager Ben Howden to work for Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
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