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Last month, a US court awarded a man $USD289 million after it determined glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup – contributed to his cancer.
The case came as no surprise to Australian farmers, Ron and Tralee Snape, who have used the weed killer glyphosate on their 350 acre farm for decades.
“I just wracked my mind and I just come straight back to the, to the chemicals we were using,” says Ron Snape.
In 2010, Tralee was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and the family oncologist initially told the couple Tralee had ‘farmer cancer’.
You've got farmer's lymphoma.
“He asked, ‘What do you do?’ and we said ‘Farmers’. And these are the words that you don't forget: he said, ‘Too many farmers are being are represented in this particular sort of cancer for it to be a coincidence. You've got farmer's lymphoma.’”
Dr Michael Antoniou, a molecular toxicologist at King’s College in London, has spent years researching glyphosate. He says industrial use of the chemical is harmful.
“It's very, very clear even from industry studies that glyphosate does cause cancer at the doses at which it was tested and this came out very clearly in the evidence presented in the court case in San Francisco,” says Dr Michael Antoniou.
“Our research results are showing that cancer is not the only negative health outcome that may arise from exposure to glyphosate based herbicide but there are other or equally serious life threatening metabolic diseases.”
In 2015, the World Health Organisation classified glyphosate as ‘probably carcinogenic’.
Roundup’s manufacturer, Monsanto, has always maintained its product is safe to use and has rejected the US Court’s decision.
“The jury’s decision does not change the fact that more than 800 scientific studies and reviews ... have found glyphosate does not cause cancer, and did not cause Mr. Johnson’s cancer,” says a Monsanto spokeswoman.
Despite the landmark court case and calls for the product to be banned, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) maintains Roundup is safe.
‘Glyphosate is registered for use in Australia and APVMA-approved products containing glyphosate can continue to be used safely according to label directions,’ says Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chris Parker.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has backed APVMA and Monsanto.
“Well, we have to have faith in Australia […] every regulator around the world has looked at this substance over the last 40 years and found that particularly if used in the way that we use it is safe,” says President of the NFF, Fiona Simson.
After years of battling cancer, Tralee Snape, is in remission and is warning other farmers to join their fight.
“I'm horrified that a company can be so irresponsible and actually market a product that is going to cause just so much strife in our family and throughout the world when you have the World Health Organisation putting out warnings that this is more than likely a carcinogen. I'm disgusted that a company can put money above morality,” says Ron Snape.
“There is such a cloud over this chemical and I feel a little bit sorry for farmers who've now got their heads in the sand. Get it out, fellas. We've got a responsibility.”
If you have personal experience with the issues raised in this story, we're keen to hear about it. Please email a few lines about your experience to: thefeed@sbs.com.au
