1MG FlippingBooks
Victoria to review Roundup use following cancer claims in the US
Chanelle Mansour
Glyphosate, an active chemical in the widely used weed killer Roundup, is under review by the Victorian government after several cancer claims have been made in the United States.
Despite glyphosate having been thoroughly assessed and declared safe by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in 2016, the Victorian government has announced it will undertake a six-week review into the handling of the chemical and its risks.
The nationwide debate began in August last year when Monsanto, the manufacturer of the herbicide Roundup (since acquired by Bayer), was taken to Californian court and ordered to pay US$289 million in compensation to former school groundskeeper DeWayne Johnson. Following the landmark US case, thousands more people came forward to sue the company.
Councils here in Australia also grew concerned after the US court’s outcome, especially given the heavy use of the chemical by families, farmers and gardeners on home soil.
Victoria’s call for the review came after two Australian law firms were reported to be investigating legal action on behalf of people suffering from cancers that are allegedly linked to exposure to Roundup. Such action could lead to millions of dollars’ worth of claims in Australia against the manufacturer of the popular weedkiller.
Despite the legal action in the US, Australian farming bodies aren’t as concerned about the effects of glyphosate and stress a science-based approach to the chemical. The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) says that there is no other agricultural chemical that has been tested to the extent that glyphosate has, with the scientific evidence supporting glyphosate’s safety “clear and overwhelming”.
Peak industry body CropLife Australia is of the opinion that without pesticides like glyphosate, there would not be enough access to produce to feed our nation, let alone contribute to feeding the world.
“Governments must ensure that the proven and established science of chemistry prevails, so farmers continue to have access to the very best in agricultural tools and technologies,” says Matthew Cossey, CEO of CropLife Australia.
In the past three years alone, regulatory authorities in the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States have publicly reaffirmed that exposure to glyphosate does not cause cancer.
Last month the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reaffirmed the safety of glyphosate, finding that it is not a carcinogen. The EPA’s Glyphosate Proposed Interim Decision also found there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label.
In January this year, Health Canada re-confirmed their position on the safety of glyphosate, along with the European Food Safety Authority, which stated that, “glyphosate is not classified or proposed to be classified as carcinogenic or toxic”.
You can read more about the scientific findings in the NFF’s campaign here.
NEWS
Prodoz, a Proudly Australian and family-owned agribusiness, based in Melbourne, is strengthening its positions as national/international leader in advanced crop – science solutions through a growing portfolio of global innovation partners and a distribution footprint supported by all major distributors - includes Nutrien Ag, Elders, Lindsay Rural and Independent Rural stores.
Australia’s climate is tougher than ever. Heat spikes, dry periods, salinity, waterlogging and sudden frost events are becoming an everyday part of farmers lives.
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
Find out why the first summer drench can be so important in protecting your flock’s health, plus what to look for in your summer drench of choice.
A NSW-based innovator has developed a patent-pending, front-mounted firefighting and utility system for tractors, giving farmers instant, in-cab-controlled fire suppression, water and fuel on hand, and safer solo operations.
Barko Security is bringing drone technology to agriculture while building on a decade of security and a lifetime of agricultural know-how.
