background

Controversial herbicide glyphosate Checked and undesirable

As of: 23.06.2021 12:55 p.m.

A test report commissioned by the EU does not consider the weed killer glyphosate to be carcinogenic or dangerous to the genetic makeup. Nevertheless, the drug will probably disappear from the market in Europe.

From Michael Heussen, WDR

The specialist authorities from France, Sweden, Hungary and the Netherlands come to terms with glyphosate to a clear result : The pesticide is not carcinogenic, it does not damage the genetic material and it is neither dangerous for human organs nor for the hormonal balance. The four national authorities had assessed the safety of glyphosate on behalf of the European Commission on the basis of existing study results. You confirm the findings of test authorities around the world.

Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the drug will disappear from the market sooner or later. “Glyphosate is socially dead,” said a farmer official in the run-up to the farmers’ day in Berlin. The public had long since made its judgment – even with solid scientific arguments, the majority of consumers could not be convinced of the harmlessness of the substance. Since 2015, the judgment of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which belongs to the World Health Organization (WHO), has been hovering over the evaluation process like a sword of Damocles: Glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic”.

“Very low probability”

It is hardly surprising that the glyphosate producer Bayer sees it differently and welcomes the positive study results that have now been published. The chemical giant, which with the US-American Monsanto group also took over its glyphosate-containing bestseller Roundup, also rejects another argument – that the herbicide threatens biodiversity.

“Evaluated scientific studies as well as publicly available research reports show only a very low probability that the proper use of glyphosate-containing pesticides has indirect effects on the biodiversity of most food chains,” says the company. For example, the effects on microorganisms living in the soil, worms, birds, pollinating insects such as honey bees, frogs and other amphibians as well as fish have been investigated, according to a Bayer spokesman. So could it happen that glyphosate may also be used in the European Union beyond the approval period that expires at the end of 2022? Much speaks against it.

The Bayer Group sees itself confirmed by the current audit at EU level. Image: dpa

Federal government expects glyphosate to be phased out by 2024

The Federal Environment Ministry, led by Svenja Schulze (SPD), firmly expects that no more glyphosate-containing pesticides may be used from January 1, 2024 at the latest after the end of the one-year transition period. “In agreement with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, we continue to assume that the Federal Government (…) has decided to phase out glyphosate use in accordance with EU law,” it says WDR -Inquiry . About the corresponding amending regulation the Federal Council will decide next Friday. Until the end of the transition period, the application “may only take place if there are no alternative options, for example in the case of weeds that are difficult to control or areas at risk of erosion” – so it is in the voting proposal. Its use on areas that serve the general public, as well as in house and allotment gardens, is completely forbidden.

No further approval expected at EU level

Federal Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner (CDU) has also emphasized several times, a spokeswoman for her ministry told the WDR “It cannot be assumed that there will still be a majority after 2022 in favor of an extension of the glyphosate approval at EU level”.

In 2017, the dispute over glyphosate between the ministries almost led to a coalition crisis in Berlin. Because the former Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt (CSU) voted “yes” in the responsible EU committee in Brussels , although the then Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks (SPD) strictly against an extension of the approval for glyphosate was. The different evaluations of the current incumbents are not so obvious. But in the letters of reply to the questions of the WDR There are differences: “Glyphosate-containing pesticides are important for soil-conserving and water-saving cultivation of arable land, especially in areas prone to erosion,” writes the Klöckner spokeswoman. Schulze’s spokesman, on the other hand, emphasizes the dangers for biodiversity: “As a total herbicide, glyphosate destroys all plants indiscriminately and thus destroys the food and livelihood for many insect species such as butterflies and, indirectly, for field birds such as the skylark.”

EU assessment expected in 2022

At the European level, the European Food Safety Authority EFSA and the European Chemicals Agency ECHA will start public participation at the beginning of September – results are expected in one year.

Bayer AG continues to rely on the controversial herbicide. Europe does not play a major role as a sales market. The agricultural countries in North and South America are more important. In the USA around ten billion euros have to be paid in the context of a settlement to 96,000 plaintiffs who blame glyphosate for their cancer, and billions more will be due for future plaintiffs . Bayer therefore wants to limit its use for private customers – but Roundup should continue to be used in large-scale agriculture. Only the warning notices should be made clearly more visible. glyphosate The weed killer glyphosate was developed by Bayer subsidiary Monsanto and marketed under the brand name Roundup. The herbicide is also manufactured by other companies, as the patent has expired for years. Bayer is faced with around 9,300 plaintiffs because of the weed killer in the United States, as glyphosate is suspected of being carcinogenic. This is based on the assessment of the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), which classified the active ingredient as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015. The Bayer Group always emphasizes that glyphosate is safe when used properly and relies on a large number of scientific studies.

At the end of 2017, the EU Commission extended the approval of glyphosate by five years and now has to make a new decision. A first round of talks is to take place in September and then the EU member states will be involved. Against this background, the EU Commission commissioned the assessment group for glyphosate (consisting of the testing authorities in France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden) to prepare a draft of the risk assessment. This 11,000-page draft was submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in mid-June 2021. A final recommendation from EFSA can be expected in the second half of 2022 after the submission has been examined

Not only in North America, Australian farmers also have a headache with these two invasive plants known as super weeds. Photo: Civileats Recent studies have shown that Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth weeds threaten the food supply in North America and are increasingly resistant to herbicides, costing farmers a lot, especially by reducing yield and crop profitability. The results of the study showed that the broadleaf weeds Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, which damage corn and soybeans in the Midwest of the United States, once caused yield losses of 40 to 70%. Accordingly, Bayer Crop Science has announced a new herbicide, expected to be released by the middle of this decade to help soybean and corn farmers combat weed problems, in particular two Dangerous invasive plants are Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth. Accordingly, the research and development of a new herbicide line Diflufenican will be introduced under the brand name Convintro. While it awaits approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Convintro products will be made available to soybean growers for use in post-ripening and pre-ripening applications. germination. Officials from the German chemical group also revealed that the new line of herbicides will also serve as a weed control tool for corn farmers. “Diflufenican has been used for many years in Europe and has demonstrated its ability to manage broad-leaved weeds in crops such as,” said Robert Schrick, Bayer’s crop protection product business lead lentils and winter cereals”. “The addition of a new product Diflufenican as the active ingredient for use in soybeans and corn is not only a first in North America, but also a new field of use for the two crops. Dangerous invasive weeds are Palmer amaranth and Waterhemp to protect soybean and corn fields. Accordingly, we will provide farmers with one more tool to add to their weed management plans,” said Robert Schrick at the press conference. Dwight Lingenfelter, an agricultural extension collaborator in the United States, stands next to a tall weed in a cornfield. Photo: PENN STATE Although the introduction of Diflufenican promises to help soybean farmers manage weeds and regain yield, Schrick says a balanced pest management approach is still the right way. “When it comes to weed management, the best approach is still an integrated, multi-site approach. Management plans that cover many years and a variety of crops will help farmers avoid problems like resistance,” said Mr. “Effective options for integrated weed management are a necessity,” said Frank Rittemann, Bayer Brand Manager for herbicide lines that damage corn, soybeans and cotton. We’re looking at chemicals that control some of the most challenging pests for farmers, and we’re relying on science to bring the best options to market, including in locations never before seen. previously exploited”. The Bayer research team continues to explore expanding opportunities to address today’s challenges and drive new innovations for our customers. “While there may be no silver bullet, our focus on crop protection will provide relentless advancements to add new tools where farmers need them,” said Mr. Rittemann. it’s the best”. Male (left) and female (right) Waterhemp weeds bloom in purple-red flowers in a soybean field in Chatham-Kent County, Ontario, Canada. Photo: fieldcropnews Earlier in a study published in the journal Weed Science , researchers from the University of Illinois (USA) have identified genetic markers that distinguish the male weed Waterhemp and the female weed Palmer amaranth. This milestone is seen as a new approach to genetics that may one day reduce the need for chemical drugs to control weeds. The researchers’ goal is to one day introduce genetically modified male plants to mate with wild female plants. The transgenic male plants will carry the gene drive (a technique to induce inheritance that favors specific genes to alter the population as a whole), a segment of DNA coding for masculinity will be passed on to all. its offspring and so on. Eventually, all plants in a given population will become male, reproduction will cease and the grass population will be destroyed.

From Michael Heussen, WDR The apparent contradiction between accepted genetic engineering in the medical field and the controversial so-called green genetic engineering in agriculture was the topic of the run-up to the Bayer Group’s Annual General Meeting today. The discussion was held by Klaus Müller, Member of the Board of Directors of the consumer association, and Matthias Berninger, chief lobbyist at Bayer. Both sat together as young MPs for the Greens in the Bundestag in the 1990s before they parted ways. Now they were invited to the virtual Bayer podium together.

Waiting for the CureVac vaccine

Bayer has entered into a cooperation with the Tübingen vaccine developer CureVac. The vaccine is to be brought onto the market at the end of the year. The goal is to produce 160 million vaccine doses in the coming year, said Berninger, including at the Bayer plant in Wuppertal. This is new territory for the pharmaceutical giant, which has not yet produced any human vaccines. 40,000 test subjects have been recruited for clinical phase III, explained Florian von der Mülbe, CureVac’s Chief Production Officer: “We are about to complete the study and assume that we will be able to apply for approval in the second quarter.” The study is running in ten countries in Europe, Central and South America; half of the subjects received the vaccine, the other half a placebo. So far there have been no significant adverse reactions, according to the head of the study, Peter Kremsner from the Tübingen Tropical Institute. To answer the question why you are so late compared to other vaccine manufacturers, Berninger reached deep into the phrase box: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best is today.” Von der Mülbe added that you have to be prepared for future pandemics, and that is what his company is doing: They have developed a technology that, together with the production capacities provided by Bayer, can react quickly to mutations and disease outbreaks.

Many people come across glyphosate and green genetic engineering

Bayer not only stands for the pharmaceutical sector, but has also been criticized – since the purchase of the American Monsanto group, producer of the controversial weed killer glyphosate and genetically modified seeds. Bayer spokesman Christian Maertin defends himself by asking the head of the consumer advice center why genetic engineering in the medical field is widely accepted by the population, but why green genetic engineering, which is used in agriculture, is met with so much suspicion. “As a consumer center, we have the privilege not to be for or against, but to demand responsible regulation,” replied consumer advocate Müller. It is about risk assessment, but also about retrievability. Adjacent fields should not be impaired, you have to respect the fact that many would like to live without genetic engineering: “I don’t think Bayer can see that any differently,” said Müller. Not every end justifies the means: “That is why strict approval procedures and transparency are important. I would like Bayer to commit to the precautionary principle” – that is, pollution and damage to the environment and health are avoided or reduced in advance. Müller also pointed out the mortgage, which Bayer took over with the purchase of Monsanto : Compensation payments that – in addition to the purchase price of 60 billion euros – will amount to at least a further twelve billion euros and that will damage the company’s reputation. In response to the somewhat helpless objection of the Bayer spokesman that it has been proven that green genetic engineering does no harm and that small companies are hindered by regulation, Müller drew attention to the legal disputes in the USA: Only large companies are able to do this To conduct litigation and pay such sums of money. “Not every little scrap should be able to experiment with the most important thing that we as humanity have” – ​​with food.

Sorry to the shareholders

The dramatic impact that underestimating these questions has on Bayer became clear at the subsequent Annual General Meeting. CEO Werner Baumann apologized to the shareholders for the bad stock market price: “We bear the responsibility – without ifs or buts. That is why it is important for me to emphasize right from the start: We want to regain your trust.” The vaccine against Covid-19 is a perfect example of how to move forward with new technologies and global collaboration on the big issues of the time. However, it is currently not foreseeable that the cooperation with CureVac will boost the company’s figures in the current financial year. According to several analysts, Bayer remains a candidate for a hostile takeover because of its low market value. The group is bottom of the DAX and has made a loss of more than ten billion euros. And in the context of the Annual General Meeting, the question is also raised as to whether Baumann will fulfill his contract, which runs until 2024 – or should resign early.