The inside story on Monsanto and the glyphosate birth defect data

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The inside story on Monsanto and the glyphosate birth defect data

The latest whitewash attempt by regulators came in the wake of an independent scientific study published last year by Argentine scientists. The study showed that Roundup and glyphosate cause birth defects in frogs and chickens at concentrations much lower than those used in agricultural spraying. The research was prompted by reports of escalating levels of birth defects and cancers in areas of South America where glyphosate is heavily sprayed on genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant crops.

Our report shows how during the EU approval of glyphosate, the rapporteur Germany explained away the birth defects in the industry studies with bizarre excuses. For example, Germany creatively redefined a recognised skeletal malformation found in glyphosate-exposed animals as merely a 'variation'. It repeatedly ‘disappeared’ findings of birth defects in glyphosate-exposed groups of animals by using historical control data – which have a wide variability because the experiments were performed under different conditions – instead of the valid control data from the experiment in hand.

So glyphosate could get a free regulatory ride until 2030, at a time when companies are applying to the EU for permission to cultivate genetically modified glyphosate-tolerant seeds in Europe. This would lead to a huge increase in the use of glyphosate, as has happened in North and South America. The beneficiary of the Commission’s delay will be the pesticide industry; the victim will be public health.