CropLife Canada response to misleading claims linking glyphosate to New Brunswick illnesses

It’s understandable that when people get sick, they want to find a reason. Unfortunately, it often isn’t as clear cut as we’d like it to be. That is why it’s important to look at science to determine what we do and do not know. When it comes to the mysterious medical cases in New Brunswick, many things are unconfirmed. But what we do know, after decades of scientific research, is that glyphosate is safe.

Pesticides are often a convenient scapegoat for unanswered issues. Pointing to glyphosate as a potential cause of illness without evidence contributes to the fear and misinformation that surrounds these products and undermines their significant role in food security. Pesticides are critical tools for farming and forestry to combat the devasting impacts pests can have on our resources.

Glyphosate is one of the most studied pesticides in the world, providing scientists ample data to determine its safety. It has been used for more than 40 years and leading regulators around the world, including Health Canada, have consistently concluded that glyphosate is not a cancer risk. Most recently, in May 2022, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) completed a thorough scientific assessment of glyphosate and again reaffirmed that glyphosate is not neurotoxic and does not cause cancer.

One of the most extensive studies into glyphosate’s possible effects on human health studied 89,000 farmers and their spouses for more than 20 years and found no association between glyphosate use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In fact, studies in the U.S., Australia, Canada and France show that farmers have less cancer overall than the general population.

Contrary to what the editorial claims, the idea that phosphorous from glyphosate somehow supports the growth of blue-green algae is purely speculation. Glyphosate binds tightly to soil and previous studies have demonstrated that less than 2% of applied glyphosate is lost as runoff. Glyphosate is degraded by microorganisms in the soil; microorganisms or plants would likely consume any phosphorous produced from glyphosate to support their growth.

Recent water monitoring data from Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has confirmed that glyphosate is not routinely detected and not exceeding established safety guidelines in Canadian watersheds, with only one detection and no exceedances in the last two years. Detection technology is now so advanced that simply being able to detect traces of glyphosate does not mean that there is cause for concern.

The benefits of glyphosate don’t often make headlines, but they are headline worthy. This important agricultural innovation has helped enable more sustainable farming practices by supporting the adoption of conservation and no-till farming, which has reduced greenhouse gas emissions and dramatically improved soil health.

Without plant science innovations like glyphosate, Canadians’ grocery bills would be 45 percent higher on average, which would have a significant impact on many families who are already struggling with rising food prices.

As a science-based association, we support research and understand the need to seek the truth. The plant science industry is made up of people who believe in science and care about feeding Canadians and the world. It’s difficult to see glyphosate being demonized in the news yet again, when we know that science shows it is safe, time and time again.

Pierre Petelle,

President and CEO, CropLife Canada