AreaUnited States of America
Commodity GroupOilseeds, oils and meals
CommodityGlyphosate
Date01/03/2019
Policy CategoryOther
Policy InstrumentPesticide use
DescriptionCourts reviewing a new case linking the use of glyphosate to cancer ruled that the pesticide had been a substantial factor in causing human cancer.
NotesIn March, a federal court reviewing a new case linking the use of glyphosate to cancer found that the pesticide had been a substantial factor in causing the disease and determined compensatory damages to be paid by the products manufacturer (see also MPPU Dec.18 on an earlier case). Subsequently, in April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed that there are no risks to public health when the herbicide is used in accordance to its current label and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic. On ecological grounds, however, the agency recommended management measures to i) ensure applications are properly targeted, and ii) reduce weed resistance problems, given that the number of weeds showing resistance to glyphosate is growing rapidly.
