RoundUp might cause cancer? This isn't working.
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 14 May 2015 06:15
- Written by editor
... Time to stop this pesticide treadmill
The latest news about Monsanto’s RoundUp underscores the need for real and lasting food system change.
Be part of the solution!
Dear Paov,
You’ve probably heard the news. A few weeks ago, global health experts announced that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s RoundUp, is a probable human carcinogen.
It’s the ultimate example of the “pesticide treadmill” that farmers across the country have been facing for years. A pesticide stops working, or is found to be more harmful than originally thought. Another chemical is brought in to replace it — and when the next round of problems arise, yet another.
Let’s get off this treadmill! » It’s time to put a stop to this dangerous cycle. That’s why — with your help — we work to reduce reliance on chemicals that put farmers, workers and rural communities at risk, and spur investments in agroecology. Your donation today will help us keep this work going!
Our Senior Scientist Dr. Marcia Ishii-Eiteman talks about industry’s “dirty little secret” — the fact that GE crops like RoundUp-Ready corn and soy are designed to dramatically drive up pesticide use.
The numbers are very clear. More than 500 million additional pounds of herbicides have been applied since Monsanto’s GE crops entered the marketplace 20 years ago — most of it RoundUp. Which means exposure to glyphosate is now virtually unavoidable; scientists have found it in our air, rain, streams, surface water and food.
Here’s Marcia on the big-picture implications of the RoundUp news:
"The problem is that Big 6 pesticide companies like Monsanto — supported by USDA and backed by an export-driven trade agenda — have built up an agricultural system that puts corporate profits above people's well-being, and locks farmers into unsustainable practices."Be part of the solution » Put simply, these GE/pesticide technologies are profit-engines for Monsanto and the rest of the Big 6, while farmers, farmworkers, rural communities and consumers pay the price. With your donation, we’ll keep building the people power needed to stop the pesticide treadmill for good.
We know this kind of change can’t happen overnight. But we’re excited by the progress we see, as more and more communities stand up for healthy food and farming across the country.
Thank you for all you do!
Judy Hatcher, Executive Director
Pesticide Action Network
Phone: 510.788.9020 Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web:www.panna.org
Facebook | Twitter | r2