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NFF backs the science amid glyphosate debate
Staff writers
The glyphosate debate has flared up again this week, with the decision by the Victorian government to review its use (which we covered here ) followed by a segment on Channel 10’s The Project on Tuesday that detailed a current lawsuit from a Victorian gardener suffering from cancer.
The lawsuit against Roundup’s manufacturer Monsanto (recently acquired by Bayer) is the first of its kind in Australia and follows a series of similar lawsuits in the United States that have proved successful and cost the company over $3 billion in payouts.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) waded into the debate this week, with President Fiona Simson backing the independent scientific advice from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and assuring farmers that Roundup is safe to use.
"The same conclusion has been made by every regulator in world. No other chemical compound has been studied to the degree that glyphosate has," said Ms Simson. "There is an extensive, international body of scientific work – spanning 40 years and 800 studies that affirms that glyphosate is not a carcinogenic, and more precisely, that it does not cause Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
"We simply have to base judgments on science and evidence and trust the regulator."
The APVMA’s findings are reinforced by the 2018 Agricultural Health Study (supported by the National Cancer Institute), which followed more than 50,000 farmers who had used glyphosate for more than 20 years and found no link between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer.
And despite the recent successful lawsuits in the US, in 2017 the United States’ Environment Protection Agency (EPA) concluded glyphosate was ‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans’ – its most favourable rating.
“As farmers we understand the concerns, we appreciate the questions, we have asked them ourselves, but we remain confident in the science and the ability of the regulator to make informed decisions based on facts,” said Ms Simson. "For many years, the NFF has put the safety of glyphosate under scrutiny and we are more than satisfied with the scientific rigour confirming its continued application."NEWS
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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