Germany To Ban Glyphosate By 2023

Germany aims to ban the use of glyphosate by the end of 2023 and curb its use before then, the Environment Ministry announced in early September 2019. The controversial weed killer, which is the subject of thousands of lawsuits in the United States because it has been linked to cancer, was developed by Monsanto under the brand name Roundup. Glyphosate is being phased out in Germany because it wipes out insect populations that are critical for ecosystems, disrupting natural food chains and the pollination of crops.

By 2023, Germany aims to reduce the use of glyphosate by at least 75%, and the German government intends to oppose any request for the EU to renew the license to produce glyphosate. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said at a Berlin press conference earlier this month that she does not expect that there will be a majority in support of glyphosate anywhere in the EU after 2022.

“What harms insects also harms people,” Schulze said. “What we need is more humming and buzzing. A world without insects is not worth living in.”

In the first phase of Germany’s plan, glyphosate will be banned in city parks and in private gardens next year. Glyphosate use will also be restricted or banned in more insect species-rich areas like orchard meadows and grasslands, and along many lake and river shores. Pesticide proponents worldwide have highlighted the risks of declining insect numbers, noting they are critical for pollinating crops and as food sources for animals.

Glyphosate has been a hot topic in Germany for years with much debate over its impact on health and biodiversity. In August 2019, Deutsche Bahn, a German state-owned rail carrier, said by 2020 it plans to decrease glyphosate usage by 50%. In February 2019, 1.75 million residents of the German state of Bavaria voted to “save the bees,” advocating for less herbicide and pesticide use and more green spaces and organic farming.

Austria and France Taking Action

Germany’s decision to ban glyphosate comes after Austria passed a bill prohibiting all uses of glyphosate, and after dozens of French mayors banned it from their municipalities. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, the leader of the Social Democrats in Austria, who brought the bill, said that the scientific evidence for the glyphosate’s carcinogenic effect is mounting.

“It is our responsibility to ban this poison from our environment,” Rendi-Wagner said.

With the move, Austria became the first European Union country to ban all uses of glyphosate. However, Austria’s sustainability ministry said the glyphosate ban would be contrary to EU law because, in 2017, the weed killer was cleared for use in all EU nations until December 2022.

Bayer, the German multinational pharmaceutical company which acquired Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, in 2018, said in a statement that Austria’s decision contradicts scientific results on glyphosate.

In the months after Austria’s ban, some 40 French mayors banned glyphosate from their municipalities. In 2017, President Emmanuel Macron had pledged to ban glyphosate in France within three years, but Macron has since stated that a blanket ban is not feasible within that time frame.

French mayors defying their national government began in May when Daniel Cueff, the mayor of Langouët in Brittany, announced to his village that he had imposed a ban on glyphosate use within 150 meters of homes and workplaces. “It is legitimate for a mayor to take action when there is incompetence by the state,” Cueff said, adding that he was taking the required steps to protect residents from pesticides.

In August, a court ruled that Cueff had overstepped his authority by imposing the glyphosate ban, deeming it unlawful. Cueff vowed to appeal the ruling, saying that, as mayor, he could not ignore the health of local residents.

Earlier this month, Clothilde Ollier, the mayor of the village of Murles, told FRANCE 24, a Paris-based international news network, that she had joined the growing movement of imposing bans. Ollier said small-town mayors have one objective, which is to protect the interest of their residents.

Ollier, a trained nurse, said she decided to enact a glyphosate ban in her small village because she was concerned that pesticides contaminated the drinking water, among other things. She said she sees firsthand in the hospital the damage that glyphosate does to people, including Parkinson’s disease, boys being born with micro-penises, and young girls entering puberty early.

“We have to ban glyphosate,” Ollier said. “It’s not in 2021 that we need to deal with this problem. We don’t have any more time!”

Glyphosate restrictions are in force in other EU countries, including Italy, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.

Vietnam and Montreal Announce Ban

Vietnam announced a ban of glyphosate in April 2019. The Vietnamese government said that the toxic level of herbicides containing glyphosate had long been a concern and they were concerned about its impact on human health. Vietnam’s decision to ban glyphosate means all herbicides containing glyphosate will not be imported into the country.

Montreal, the largest city in Canada’s Quebec province, announced plans earlier this month to ban the use of glyphosate by the end of the year. Montreal City Councillor Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde said there is no longer any reason not to protect the health of the people of Montreal who use glyphosate. “Failing to act would be irresponsible,” she said.

Harmful Effects of Roundup

 Thousands of Roundup lawsuits from across the United States are currently pending against Monsanto. Many of the lawsuits point to a 2015 finding from the World Health Organization (WHO) that said glyphosate was probably carcinogenic to humans. In 2016, a joint report by the WHO and the United Nations found that there was evidence of a link between exposure to glyphosate and the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a cancer of the immune system.

 Numerous health conditions and diseases have been linked to glyphosate exposure, including but not limited to:

• Cancers of the brain, lung, and prostate
• Leukemia
• Myeloma
• Alzheimer’s
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Large B-Cell Lymphoma
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma
• T-Cell Lymphoma
• Parkinson’s disease
• Autism
• Diabetes
• Liver disease
• Hormonal imbalances
• Sexual problems
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

A recent analysis published in the journal Mutation Research found that glyphosate increases the cancer risk of those exposed to it by 41%. The analysis evaluated existing studies into glyphosate and found that it greatly increases the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. According to one of the study’s authors, this research provides the most current analysis of glyphosate and its correlation with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Who is Affected By Roundup?

For decades, Roundup has been used regularly by people throughout the United States and much of the world, including but not limited to:

• Farm Workers
• Horticulturists
• Groundskeepers
• Landscapers
• Field Managers
• Community Gardeners
• Garden Center Employees
• Nursery Employees

Even residents who live near farms that used Roundup could be exposed to harmful side effects caused by the glyphosate-containing herbicide.

Contact a Roundup Lawyer Today

The Roundup cancer lawsuit lawyers at Driscoll Firm, P.C. have extensive experience handling cases against large corporations like Monsanto. If you are not offered a fair settlement that covers all your expenses, we won’t hesitate to take Monsanto to court. Also, our lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won’t owe us a cent unless we recover compensation for you.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to Roundup, you need the skilled and experienced legal representation of Roundup Legal Center Our dedicated and compassionate attorneys will fight back against the wrongdoing and negligence of Monsanto, allowing you to obtain the maximum compensation that you deserve. Contact Roundup Legal Center today by calling 210-622-2600, filling out a contact form, or chatting with us live on our website.

We offer free initial consultations, so you have nothing to lose by speaking with our experienced Roundup cancer lawsuit attorneys. Contact us today. We want to help in any way we can.