The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft assessment report this week that concludes glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, contradicting findings from both the World Health Organization and the State of California. The EPA is not the only organization to oppose the link between glyphosate and cancer, agricultural giant Monsanto being the most vocal critic of the WHO’s findings. The president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, Gordon Stoner, was pleased the EPA panel “confirms exactly what we’re saying: that agencies across the world say glyphosate is safe and the IARC report is a flawed analysis…”
Related: Dicamba – The Herbicide Monsanto is Promoting to Replace Roundup’s Glyphosate
The wheat industry is particularly invested in this assessment, as they are among the farm groups who have joined with Monsanto to sue the State of California. As a part of its Proposition 65 initiative, California will be labeling all glyphosate products as cancer-causing by July of 2018. The lawsuit is an attempt to halt a measure guaranteed to negatively impact several industries like farming and gardening.
Business as Usual
If you’re a group currently suing a government agency claiming that your product does not cause cancer, it must be a relief to hear another government agency conclude that it probably doesn’t. For Monsanto, there wasn’t really a question. Since the release of glyphosate in 1974, upper-level management at the EPA has ignored or reversed studies that found issues with the herbicide. Monsanto emails recently released in regards to a different court case confirm that EPA employee Jess Rowland deliberately squashed an investigation into glyphosate around the same time that the WHO released its findings.
Related: Monsanto’s Glyphosate, Fatty Liver Disease Link Proven – Published, Peer-reviewed, Scrutinized Study
Monsanto is currently in the middle of a merger with German company Bayer AG, which will give them an unprecedented amount of control over the food supply. But they don’t even really need it. The necessary United States government agencies have been trained to put Monsanto first, even to the point of doing the company’s dirty work for them. Rather than issuing press releases with new studies or data reviews concerning glyphosate, the EPA has only now begun monitoring glyphosate in food. The USDA and the CDC don’t even bother. The new “findings” from the EPA are unlikely to change that anytime soon.
Related Reading:
- The Difference Between Heirlooms, Hybrids, and GMOs
- Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
- Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
- Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
- How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
Sources:
- U.S. EPA says glyphosate not likely to be carcinogenic to people – Reuters
- How Monsanto Captured the EPA (And Twisted Science) To Keep Glyphosate on the Market – In These Times
- USDA Drops Glyphosate Testing Plans, Makes Monsanto’s Life Easier – Organic Lifestyle Magazine