Monsanto Roundup Ban Starts in The Netherlands At End of The Year

As more nations and states consider limitations on use of Monsanto’s Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides, due to recent cancer concerns, The Netherlands are already set to ban private use of the weed killer by the end of year. 

Dutch parliament decided to ban the use of Roundup by private citizens in April 2014, a year before an international panel of experts determined that the herbicide was likely to cause cancer in humans. The Dutch ban, which does not affect large agricultural farming operations, was based on concerns that Roundup was toxic to humans and animals, going into effect at the end of this year.

Roundup is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, which was introduced by Monsanto in the 1970s, containing the active ingredient glyphosate.

While concerns have existed for years about the safety of Roundup exposure, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a warning about the link between Roundup and cancer in March 2015, classifying glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen.

The IARC indicated that the chemical may increase the risk of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, as well as skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer and other cancers.

Monsanto has said that the IARC’s conclusions were agenda-driven and based on “junk science.” The manufacturer has said it is convening its own independent panel to review the cancer risks of Roundup.

Before the cancer concerns were brought to light by the IARC, Dutch regulators in The Netherlands expressed concern over the herbicide’s link to infertility, birth defects, Parkinson’s disease, nervous system damage and cancer. The Dutch Lower House, and specifically a party known as the Party for Animals, which focuses on animal rights and welfare, also warned that Roundup use negatively affected biodiversity and made it more difficult to clean the nation’s water supply.

Other RoundUp Bans In Effect Or Being Considered

France has already banned the sale of Roundup at garden centers across the country, and French officials say they plan to widen the ban by 2022. In addition, Hawaii County officials are expected to vote today on whether to ban local government use of Roundup across the state’s “Big Island.”

The vote on Bill 71 was delayed following extensive testimony at an August 4 meeting, when the vote was originally scheduled. However, 45 people ended up testifying at the meeting, with the vast majority of them calling for the herbicide to be banned in Hawaii County.

Some residents testified that they had been sprayed directly with Roundup by trucks going down the road. The county itself pays $30,000 annually to buy Roundup, and the ban would stop that use entirely. It accounts for between 25-30% of herbicide use by the county.

If approved, the Roundup ban would not affect private use.

Russia and Mexico had also already banned Roundup use in some capacity before the IARC determination.

A controversial bill recently passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is now pending in the Senate, could prevent states from limiting or ban the use of Roundup. The legislation, known as the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, contains provisions which critics say would prevent proper and informative labeling of genetically modified organism (GMO) crops, and would also make it illegal to for states or counties to pass laws that regulate GMO crops, which could include the ability to decide what herbicides are sprayed on GMO fields.

A number of consumers diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma or other forms of cancer are now considering potential Roundup lawsuits against Monsanto, alleging that inadequate warnings were provided about the potential side effects of the weedkiller.