COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2020


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Glyphosate may be safe, but its days are numbered Public concerns ratchets up the pressure to find an alternative weed killer


by MYRNA STARK LEADER KELOWNA – When BC


Ministry of Agriculture pesticide specialist Ken Sapsford put together the glyphosate workshop for the 73rd annual meeting of the Canadian Weed Science Society held in Kelowna, November 20-21, his goal was to share the science on the popular herbicide. “I hope we were able to defuse many of the myths about glyphosate that are out there,” Sapsford said following the event.


The national conference was attended by about 150 people who heard from several speakers how essential the herbicide is for many crops and cropping systems. While research continues on alternatives like harvesting weeds, burning them, organic controls, biocontrols, steam treatments and others, no alternative has proven as effective, easy and economical for controlling weeds. In BC, glyphosate is used for


weed control in orchards and vineyards as well as in cereal and oilseed crops. One speaker noted that glyphosate’s introduction has changed how grain growers harvest their crop, from swathing to straight-cutting, particularly in areas with short frost-free seasons. It’s also increased no-till farming, which reduces topsoil loss and helps conserve soil moisture. “The body of glyphosate evidence is enormous, so how much evidence is necessary?” environmental toxicologist Ryan Prosser, an assistant professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, asked rhetorically.


No stone unturned


Prosser was one of four panelists who discussed glyphosate during the workshop. He and others pointed to the 2015-2017 Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s re-evaluation of glyphosate, and Health Canada’s very broad and definitive review in January 2019 that “left no stone unturned.” Health Canada concluded that all studies and raw scientific data indicated glyphosate poses no health risk to Canadians based on how it is used currently. Prosser also spoke of the


need for people to better understand the difference between toxicity, exposure, risk and probability, stating that Canadian producers typically do precision application unlike images from glyphosate opponents which show the herbicide sprayed directly on food. He added


that studies demonstrating a correlation between two things aren’t the same as those demonstrating a cause-and- effect relationship, but the public often doesn’t grasp this. Throughout the day, in addition to the panel, scientists shared research indicating no negative impacts from glyphosate residues in plant roots, soil and food when the products are used according to directions. But even with the scientific evidence saying it’s safe, University of Saskatchewan research officer and plant scientist Eric Johnson said it won’t hurt to undertake research with the understanding “losing glyphosate is inevitable.” He shared three factors that


may lead to a change – market concerns like in 2015, when Grain Miller Inc. in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, would not accept oats with glyphosate applied pre-harvest because of grain quality. The growing emergence of glyphosate- resistant weeds and legislative bans are additional factors leading to the phasing out of glyphosate. In 2017, for instance, the EU renewed approval of the herbicide’s use for five years but Austria has voted to ban it, Germany to reduce use and ban by 2023, France to phase it out if viable alternatives are found and Denmark and Italy have said no to in-crop use. Thailand, Vietnam and six Middle Eastern countries have banned it.


Johnson says the most


pressing research need is alternative methods of pre- harvest application on grain crops. In the meantime, producers need to


demonstrate judicious use of the herbicide.


Pre-harvest research Chris Willenborg, also at the


University of Saskatchewan, presented findings from research looking at pre- harvest use of glyphosate and its impact on crop yield and maturity in oats compared to direct-cut with no glyphosate and swathing. The study found no negative influence on yield, residues or any physical quality parameters based on appropriate timing of application of pre-harvest glyphosate. Another study concluded that glyphosate residues were below maximum residue limits if applied at 30% seed moisture content. “Glyphosate has become a


very political issue and the media has been able to sensationalize some issues that are not based on good science,” noted Sapsford. “There’s a very short


Glyphosate may be a farmer’s most efficient tool to combat weeds but public pressure and a growing resistance to the herbicide is increasing the need for an alternative. MYRNA STARK LEADER FILE PHOTO


straight line between urban bans and agriculture … urban bans are just the thin edge of the wedge,” said plenary speaker Dennis Prouse, vice- president of government


affairs at Crop Life Canada. Prouse says when “Internet


science” leaves farmers having to explain, they are already losing the public relations battle.


“We have a federal


regulatory agency in Canada – Health Canada – and others around the world who’ve


See LOSING on next page o


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