Blog
26th July 2024
Glyphosate remains contentious despite Australian Federal Court decision
Yesterday’s Federal Court decision to dismiss the class action involving 800 plaintiffs should not be read as proof that Glyphosate is a safe and benign herbicide.
On the issue of whether Glyphosate causes cancer, Justice Lee asserted, “Whatever else is unclear, one thing is plain: the science is all not one way” and further… that his judgement statement “is not the same thing as saying affirmatively that it does not“.
Jane Bremmer, Toxics Free Australia states, “Hundreds of scientists and experts around the world have been raising the alarm about Glyphosate and more importantly its more toxic metabolite AMPA. Glyphosate and AMPA are ubiquitous in our global environment and there are more than 95,000 cases in the US that have delivered legal verdicts confirming this product causes Non-Hodgkinson’s Lymphoma and other serious health conditions.”
“In addition, several organisations have launched court challenges against the EU’s recent decision to re-register Glyphosate for use for another 10 years. Citing the EU’s failure to reach consensus on this herbicide’s safety and the EU Commission’s failure to consider key independent scientific evidence.”
“The Australian case, which was not a scientific inquiry, only demonstrates the global failure of pesticide regulation, including in Australia which is one of the largest users of this product, to account for the many other health and environmental impacts this product has been shown to cause. The world’s highest authority on cancer research – the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) classified Glyphosate as a “Class 2 probable carcinogen” in 2015 and highlighted the strong evidence of genotoxicity associated with Glyphosate and Glyphosate formulations.”
“Today Australia has failed these 800 plaintiffs who deserve recognition and justice. It’s a dark day for environmental justice. But the fight is not over for the scientists, experts, civil society organisations, farming communities and individuals around the world who accept and uphold the independent science that exists demonstrating the hazardous properties and public health impacts of glyphosate that are ignored by regulators and their biased regulatory frameworks.” states Jane Bremmer.
Toxics Free Australia, Jane Bremmer – 0432041397
