The campaign group Uplift is asking Irish people to join the ongoing global efforts to ban glyphosate.
The pressure group is mobilising its members in Ireland in order to secure 9,000 signatures, as part of an EU-wide campaign to get the herbicide banned.
This will contribute to the one million signatures that would be required to secure a response from the European Commission on the matter
“Glyphosate is causing untold damage to our health, environment and wildlife – including bees,” said Uplift Executive Director Siobhan O’Donoghue.
Uplift members refuse to stand by and let companies, such as Monsanto, continue to control government policy and thinking.
“We have a chance to finally get glyphosate banned at EU level and Uplift members are stepping up in their thousands to make this happen.”
Responding, IFA Grain Committee Chairman Liam Dunne said that glyphosate levels in Irish drinking water have not been found to be above levels that will damage human health.
“I sit on a committee involving representation from the EPA, Irish Water and the Department of Agriculture’s pesticide control section,” he said.
“Its core function is to identify ways by which the level of chemical residues in water can be reduced, across the board. To make this happen, 9,000 water samples are analysed on an annual basis. And, only on one occasion has the permitted level of glyphosate been breached.”
“There is no plan B when it comes to controlling grass weeds in cereal crops. In fact, grain production in Ireland would probably cease within five years of glyphosate being banned.
This is how important the herbicide is to the Irish tillage sector.
“Cereals have been grown by farmers for the past 40,000 years. And this historical time span can be very clearly split into life before and after glyphosate.
“The development of the herbicide has allowed Irish farmers to increase cereal yields on an exponential basis. If it were to be banned, Irish grain production would go into a tailspin, leaving the country dependent on cereal imports.
“And, invariably, these grains would be grown on land that has been treated with glyphosate,” he said.
Following the failure of member states to reach a qualified majority on the reauthorisation of glyphosate, the European Commission agreed in June 2016 to extend the current authorisation for a period of 18 months.
European farmers will, therefore, be able to continue to use glyphosate as they have previously done until at least December 31, 2017.