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The secret tactics Monsanto used to protect Roundup, its star product | Four Corners

ABC News In-depth・2 minutes read

Glyphosate, widely used by farmers like Peter Mela and Annie in New South Wales, is at the center of controversy due to health concerns and deceptive practices by Monsanto. Despite claims of safety, evidence of potential risks and lawsuits continue to shed doubt on the herbicide's true impact, prompting calls for stricter regulations and global safety inquiries.

Insights

  • Concerns about the safety of glyphosate, commonly used in agriculture, have intensified due to claims linking it to cancer, legal disputes, and deceptive practices by Monsanto, now owned by Bayer.
  • Despite Monsanto's persistent defense of glyphosate's safety and value, mounting evidence, including the IARC's classification of glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, along with lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny, suggest a pressing need for comprehensive government investigations and potential restrictions on its usage, echoing global debates on banning glyphosate in countries like France and Germany.

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Recent questions

  • Is glyphosate safe for agricultural use?

    Yes, Peter Mela believes glyphosate is the safest chemical farmers use, while Monsanto denies it causes cancer, citing scientific studies.

  • What controversies surround Roundup?

    Roundup is linked to cancer lawsuits, deceptive tactics by Monsanto, doubts about safety due to fraudulent studies, and EPA controversies.

  • What did the World Health Organization classify glyphosate as?

    The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, sparking safety concerns.

  • How is Monsanto defending Roundup?

    Despite controversies, Monsanto continues to defend Roundup's safety and value in agriculture, citing scientific studies and denying cancer risks.

  • Are there concerns about glyphosate regulation?

    Yes, with over 500 glyphosate products used in Australia and no formal review in two decades, prompting calls for government inquiry and global safety questions.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

Glyphosate: Controversy and Safety in Agriculture

  • Peter Mela and Annie's daughter Georgia use glyphosate in their barley field in Baga Bella, New South Wales.
  • Glyphosate, originally patented by Monsanto as Roundup, is widely used by conventional farmers globally.
  • Peter believes glyphosate is the safest among all chemicals farmers use.
  • Ron and Trolleys Snape blame Roundup for Trolleys' non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis.
  • A California jury awarded $289 million to a groundskeeper who claimed Roundup caused his cancer.
  • Dave Walton uses Roundup Ready seeds to grow corn, genetically modified to resist glyphosate.
  • Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, denies glyphosate causes cancer, citing over 800 scientific studies.
  • Internal documents reveal Monsanto's deceptive tactics to protect Roundup.
  • Doubts about Roundup's safety arose due to fraudulent studies and EPA controversies.
  • Despite controversies, Monsanto continues to defend Roundup's safety and value in agriculture.

20:58

Monsanto's Roundup: False Safety Claims Exposed

  • In the 1990s, Monsanto's Roundup ads were found to be false and misleading by New York's Attorney General, Dennis Backhoe.
  • Monsanto's advertising claims of Roundup being safe, biodegradable, and less dangerous than table salt were proven to be inaccurate.
  • Company insiders at Monsanto raised concerns about the potential risks of Roundup as early as 2003.
  • The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, as a probable human carcinogen.
  • Monsanto launched a PR campaign to counter the negative review by IARC on glyphosate, aiming to discredit the findings.
  • Monsanto arranged for staff to ghostwrite scientific papers and articles in support of glyphosate.
  • The EPA invited epidemiologist Dr. Peter Infante to assess glyphosate, but CropLife lobbied to have him removed from the panel.
  • Monsanto pushed to kill off an earlier assessment of glyphosate by the US Health Department.
  • More than 9,000 people in the US are suing Monsanto, claiming Roundup caused their cancer.
  • The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority hasn't formally reviewed glyphosate in over two decades, despite concerns raised about its safety.

40:08

Glyphosate Use in Australia Sparks Safety Concerns

  • Over 500 glyphosate products are currently used in Australia, with no plans to restrict their use or implement stricter warnings, prompting concerns about the chemical, the company producing it, and the regulation surrounding it. Countries like France and Germany are considering banning glyphosate, raising global safety questions, leading to calls for a thorough government inquiry into the product.
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