The following article was published in the leading German News Magazine Der Spiegel today. It describes the harmfull effects of the most sold herbicide glyphosate and pleads for critical research. (google translation)

It's raining poison

The herbicide glyphosate has been used massively for years around the world. But it might also damage crops and animals.

Many cattle and pigs that have been examined showed gastrointestinal bleeding, colic, or refuse food. Cows bring dead fetuses to the world or act pregnant, even though they are not. "Some of them look as if they were pregnant for months," says the man from the U.S. state of Iowa, who has worked for nearly 40 years as a veterinarian. His name he does not want to see printed. He fears for his job in the agricultural industry.

His suspicion: A Weed killer may be responsible. Glyphosate is the substance. The accusation is explosive: The chemical is currently the best selling weedkiller worldwide and is sprayed massively on the fields.

Researchers have long discussed whether glyphosate, became known as Roundup by the U.S. agricultural company Monsanto, increases disease in crops. Now set for agricultural research: A group led by the British Michael Antoniou from King's College London, warns in a recent report that glyphosate causes birth defects in animals.

The U.S. phytopathologist Don Huber is worried about the cattle. The emeritus professor claims to have discovered that a treacherous soil organism is favored by glyphosate, and this could cause "diseases in plants and mammals." In a confidential letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack suggested the researchers alarm: The use of Roundup must be perceived "as a disaster."

Since 1996, glyphosate is used increasingly in the U.S., together with genetically modified seeds, which tolerates the chemical. The combination has long been considered environmentally safe and extremely effective: Glyphosate inhibits a key enzyme of plant metabolism. GM crops such as Monsanto's Roundup Ready varieties resist the killer. So if you sprayed glyphosate against weeds and uses the same GM crops, may hope for good harvests.

Correspondingly, the medium was previously popular. Around one million tonnes of glyphosate were sold worldwide in 2010. Two billion dollars in sales in 2010 alone, Monsanto made with Roundup. Also, Syngenta, Bayer and other companies selling agricultural glyphosate products.

The farmers in the U.S. are using the massive funds for years. Nine out of ten of the soybeans produced there and most of the corn plants stand in the rain glyphosate. In Germany, the chemical component is of 69 pesticides. And the stakes could soon rise sharply: The EU Commission is considering to allow the cultivation of glyphosate-tolerant genetically modified varieties in the EU.

But probably not only damages the herbicide to weeds. "Plants treated with glyphosate, have a reduced resistance to disease," warns Römheld Volker of the University of Hohenheim. Glyphosate binds essential nutrients such as manganese or zinc, where there was a lack of the crop now. Diseases such as anemia would increase - this is true even for the GM plant, which is to protect the funds actually.

And the use of glyphosate to take on. Because now some weeds are resistant, farmers would have to inject twice, says Römheld.

Especially the change of soil ecosystem can have serious consequences. Among the beneficiaries, for example, glyphosate-called Fusarium, fungi, produce a number of poisons. Vomitoxin is one of them, which causes vomiting, or extremely toxic T2. "With glyphosate-treated plants are populated with up to five times more frequently than untreated plants, Fusarium," said Robert armed by the U.S. company Central Iowa agronomics. Recently, the agricultural damage in Iowa, the researchers estimate from the plane. Everywhere he looked bleached crops and barren fields. Mycotoxins can even load the grain into animal feed and move.

And glyphosate itself, researchers have often been reported in animal feed and even in animal excreta. There is evidence that glyphosate interferes with the endocrine system of rats. In animal experiments, frog and chicken embryos have developed damage. When tadpoles were exposed to glyphosate, malformations of the head and tail have been observed.

Is the mass cultivation of herbicide-tolerant varieties so momentous a field trial? The industry denies the allegations. Monsanto had "no known reliable studies that show that Roundup Ready varieties are more susceptible to disease", the Group position. Glyphosate lead "even with excessive concentrations far in trying not to reproductive side effects in animals or cause birth defects in their offspring."

Whether you are out of danger glyphosate, so it is still debatable. The Briton Antoniou calls to test aggravated the agent before the cultivation is permitted, for example, of Roundup Ready varieties in the EU. The European Commission had been critical research "ignored or not taken seriously." U.S. researchers Huber believes that the unilateral assessment system: "The print industry is enormous."

"We are seeing an abuse of a single chemical," says Huber, "instead of shooting the messenger of the bad news, independent research should urgently be pushed."

Caption:

Spraying of glyphosate in the U.S.: "The pressure from industry is enormous,"