Farmers, Greens split on herbicide use

The Greens have failed in a bid to get a popular herbicide reviewed by the regulator in light of a US court decision on its carcinogenic qualities.

Farmers and the Greens are locked in a showdown over whether regulators should look at stopping the use of a weedkiller a US court blamed for causing cancer.

It comes after a Californian court ordered agribusiness giant Monsanto pay $US289 million ($A399 million) in damages to a former groundskeeper dying of cancer.

The jury found Monsanto's glyphosate product Roundup contributed to his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Australian Greens failed in their bid on Wednesday to request the regulator review the chemical.

Greens senator Janet Rice said she was disappointed Labor and the coalition voted against a motion to get the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to release its findings on glyphosate.

"The US court finding is a massive wake-up call for Australia," Senator Rice said.

She said the court decision was on top of the World Health Organisation listing the chemical as "probably carcinogenic".

National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson slammed the court's finding, saying it was dangerous and reckless.

"It is used broadly because science has established that it is safe to use," she said.

Ms Simson said APVMA had concluded the use of glyphosate in Australia did not pose a cancer risk to humans.

"After four decades of evaluations, no regulatory agency in the world considers glyphosate to be carcinogenic," Ms Simson said.

But Senator Rice is adamant people need to see the scientific data and evidence.


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Source: AAP



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