Another blow comes to the herbicide giant Monsanto, as Los Angeles County decides to stop the use of all RoudUp weedkiller products for lawn control until further research has been conducted about the health benefits of the main ingredient, glyphosate.
Ongoing Legal Actions Against Monstanto’s Roundup Weedkiller
This news came the same day that a jury in the District Court for Northern California found Monsanto guilty of causing cancer in a California man named Edwin Hardeman. He used the product for years and often got the product on his hands or face, he testified. His verdict was the first of its kind in the United States, although there are thousands of such cases pending at the state and federal level today.
More from the Homestead Guru: UN Report Says Small-Scale Organic Farming Only Way To Feed The World
Just last month Monsanto was found guilty of poisoning a farmer in France. The farmer, Paul François , suffered massive neurological damage after using the product Lasso, which contains the chemical monochlorobenzene that was promoted as safe. The product was banned in Canada in 1085 and Belgium and Britain in 1992, and finally banned in France in 2007.
Because the chemical was already outlawed in several countries, François argued that the company was already aware of the potential dangers of Lasso, and did not properly warn users of the dangers. The judge in the case ruled that proper warnings were not issued, and stated that “the plaintiff’s assumed technical knowledge does not excuse the lack of information on the product and its harmful effects – a farmer is not a chemist”.
Scientific Evidence to Stop Using Roundup Weedkiller
Despite the scientific evidence and legal action indicating Roundup is incredibly harmful, Bayer owned Monsanto still stands by its products and claims they will “vigorously defend” their controversial weed killer.”We are disappointed with the jury’s initial decision, but we continue to believe firmly that the science confirms that glyphosate-based herbicides do not cause cancer,” Bayer said.
Over 60 scientists and experts from around the world contributed to the World Health Organization 2013 publication titled, Trade and Environment Review, all claiming that the mono-cropping pesticide heavy method of farming is an unsustainable and dangerous method of food production. The backlash against the use of RoundUp Weedkiller has finally hit the United States, we expect to see more verdicts such as this.
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NBC Los Angeles reports that the ban was spearheaded by Kathryn Barger, “I am asking county departments to stop the use of this herbicide until public health and environmental professionals can determine if it’s safe for further use in L.A. County and explore alternative methods for vegetation management.”
The co-author of the motion, County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, cited the 2015 documents as a large reason to call for further investigation,
“In a 2015 study led by 17 experts from 11 countries, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that glyphosate should be classified as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans… That conclusion makes it imperative that we question any long-term use of this controversial herbicide, and that’s exactly what this motion calls for.”
While the company seems willing to stand by their product, the general public is waking up and refusing to participate in the poisoning of our friends and family any more. Every school district, country, and country who bans the use of this product brings us one step closer to healing our world!
There are other solutions, we don’t have to spray our planet with toxic chemicals, we can instead redirect our energy to small scale sustainable farming. Check out some of these great Homestead Guru videos below:
Self Sufficient Backyard Gardens are the Way of Life in Northern Italy!
Interview with Ted and Don of Raven Rocks Eco Village
