US weedkiller verdict triggers UK retailer review
Three UK retail outlets are currently reassessing sale of systemic weedkiller glyphosate in light of a recent US court ruling. The court in California upheld the claim of a professional groundsman who alleged he contracted terminal cancer through continual use of the product.
Homebase, B&Q and Wilko are currently reviewing their commitment to sell the product, the world’s most widely-used weedkiller, in the light of the finding after Dewayne Johnson was awarded £226 million in damages after contracting non- Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014. There are reportedly 5,000 similar plaintiffs in the USA.
Pharmaceutical giant Bayer, new owner of agriculture giant Monsanto, who introduced the product in 1974, dismissed claims glyphosate is carcinogenic. “Today’s decision does not change the fact that more than 800 scientific studies and reviews – and conclusions by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US National Institutes of Health and regulatory authorities around the world – support the fact that glyphosate does not cause cancer, and did not cause Mr Johnson’s cancer,” said Monsanto Vice-president Scott Partridge. “We will appeal this decision and continue to vigorously defend this product, which has a 40-year history of safe use and continues to be a vital, effective and safe tool for farmers and others.”
The European Food Safety Authority also considers glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans. In November 2017, the EU voted to renew the licence for glyphosate, giving the product a five-year licence extension, despite opposition.
“Like many people and organisations, the RHS is concerned about the potential unintended effects of pesticides and herbicides on humans, animals and other plant life. This is why we work closely with Defra, the Chemicals Regulation Directorate and other organisations to develop best practice based on evidence and research,” said an RHS spokesperson.