Comments Off on Health Canada confirms glyphosate safety | The Western Producer
Following a review Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has reaffirmed the safety of glyphosate. The review was in response to eight notices of objection related to the agency’s final re-evaluation decision in 2017.
Health Canada said it “left no stone unturned” in conducting the review, concluding that the concerns raised by the objectors could not be scientifically supported when considering the entire body of relevant data. The agency affirmed that glyphosate does not cause any harmful effects, including cancer. It also said there were no environmental concerns raised by the review.
Comments Off on More food on the world’s plate thanks to plant science industry innovations
The recently released international report by market analysts Phillips McDougall, shows the significant positive impact crop protection products have had on farming since 1960. Today’s crop protection industry is valued at over US$50 billion globally with more than 600 chemical actives available to farmers worldwide. Here in Australia crop protection products have been established to directly underpin more than A$20 billion of agricultural production.
While the rate of new product approvals has decreased slightly in recent years, industry investment in research and development remains high. Products continue to be developed to improve their efficacy and ensure the highest levels of safety. This is vital in ensuring they meet regulatory standards, so farmers have the best possible tools to provide nutritious, safe and affordable food to a growing world population.
As products have been improved, application rates have been able to be decreased significantly. In the 1950’s farmers were using up to 2,400 grams of active ingredient per hectare to control pests, weeds and diseases. They now need only around 70 grams to treat the same areas, a result of the significant innovations in chemistry through this major investment in research and development over many decades.
The report notes the use of crop protection products helps farmers increase their yields, a trend that must continue for global food security.
Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, Matthew Cossey, said, “Thanks to continued research and development investment by the crop protection sector led by CropLife members, the resulting innovations mean farmers are now applying 95 per cent less pesticide per hectare to achieve the same level of control. Food produced per tonne of active ingredient has increased by more than 10 per cent in the last 40 years. These are extraordinary results for our farmers. Australian farmers have certainly been at the forefront of these benefits.”
Regulatory requirements have become more stringent since the 1960s and now involve the development of more data than ever before. To register one new active chemical ingredient, over 150 studies need to be conducted. Chemical regulators need to be confident in not only the efficacy of a product, but also its safety to users, consumers and the environment.
Mr Cossey continued, “Globally, regulatory standards are becoming more demanding and at the same time, crop protection products are becoming even safer for users, consumers and the environment. Pesticides are among the most regulated products in the world. Here in Australia we have one of the most robust and modern regulatory regimes for pesticides and that is why Australians can have confidence in their safety.”
Mr Cossey concluded, “As the global agricultural sector meets the challenge of feeding a growing world, the crop protection industry will play a crucial part.”
Comments Off on APVMA recovered performance welcomed
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) performance statistics for the September 2018 quarter, released today, show that crop protection product assessment and registration timeframe performance has returned to 2014-15 levels.
Mr Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, said, “Industry is very glad to see the performance return to previous levels and commends the APVMA on clearing a backlog of applications.
“Following the announcement the APVMA would relocate to Armidale, timeframe performance for pesticide approvals plunged from 81 per cent to its low point of 24 per cent in the June 2017 quarter.
“This quarter’s recovery to 80 per cent for pesticide product applications is a return to performance before the announcement of the relocation, which saw the loss of experienced regulatory scientists and had a significant impact on operational performance.”
Mr Cossey continued, “It is disappointing that timeframe performance remains below statutory obligations. We will continue to support the regulator to improve operational efficiency by seeking long-overdue structural, regulatory and legislative improvements.
“While there is improvement in some areas, timeframe performance for critical new and innovative product applications that will significantly drive Australian farming productivity has dropped to 44 per cent.”
Mr Cossey noted the assessment and registration of crop protection products is the substantive component of the APVMA’s work and timeliness is crucial to ensuring Australian farmers have access to important agricultural tools.
At a Senate Inquiry hearing last week the APVMA confirmed just six of its 90 regulatory scientists had relocated to Armidale. This loss of experience and institutional knowledge represents a real risk to the agency’s operation. The recently announced retention of a Canberra office will help to minimise some of this impact.
Mr Cossey concluded, “It is essential that improvement is sustained, particularly as the agency completes its relocation to Armidale next year. The plant science and farming sectors must not be disadvantaged further by the ongoing disruption to APVMA operations.”
Comments Off on Senate inquiry into the APVMA unnecessary
CropLife Australia always seeks to constructively engage in any public debates or discussions that lead to better-informed parliamentarians and consumers and increased community confidence in the regulation and importance of crop protection innovations.
Following the Four Corners program last night, there have been calls for a Senate Inquiry into the independence of Australia’s pesticides regulator. CropLife does not believe there is any basis that would warrant any inquiry, Senate Committee or otherwise, into the independence of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
It is concerning that media based on emotional speculation with no scientific basis has led to these calls.
The APVMA is universally recognised as a world-leading regulator which makes decisions based strictly on science and evidence. The concerns CropLife has shared about the APVMA relate only to its timeliness in approving vital agricultural products.
The community can remain confident in the APVMA’s comprehensive reconsideration nomination assessment of glyphosate in 2016 following the IARC report. Their assessment found no grounds for glyphosate to be reconsidered. This assessment aligns with Health Canada, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority, the European Food Safety Authority, Germany’s Federal Institute for risk assessment, and the European Chemicals Agency who have also all concluded glyphosate is safe to use.
While an inquiry is unnecessary, CropLife will participate in any process that leads to increased awareness of the importance of agricultural innovations to the Australian community. Any inquiry must be based on facts and evidence and not be driven by any partisan agenda.
Comments Off on CropLife Australia’s response to Four Corners program
Following tonight’s Four Corners program, CropLife Australia encourages all observers and commentators to refer and give primacy to the independent scientific experts regarding glyphosate, instead of continuing to inadvertently perpetrate misinformation and unnecessarily escalate community concern.
CropLife Australia and our members support a rigorous, robust, independent and scientific evidence-based regulatory system to ensure the safety of Australian users, consumers and the environment.
Australia’s independent regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), undertook a comprehensive reconsideration nomination assessment of glyphosate as recently as 2016 following the IARC’s monograph report and found no grounds for it to be reconsidered. Health Canada, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority have also all concluded glyphosate is safe to use.
Recent evaluations by the European Food Safety Authority, Germany’s Federal Institute for risk assessment (BfR), and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found unequivocally that glyphosate poses no unacceptable risks either to human health or to the environment.
Independent regulatory safety assessments support the fact that glyphosate does not cause harm to humans or the environment.
The US Agricultural Health Study investigated the risk between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The study analysed data from over 89,000 farmers and their spouses and found no association between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma – regardless of the exposure level.
The Four Corners program also reported on CropLife Australia’s advocacy activities. CropLife Australia’s only objective in our engagement with parliamentarians and political parties is to ensure they have a clear, evidence-based understanding of the plant science industry and its regulation. We also advocate the importance of the innovations of our industry for Australia’s farming sector.
CropLife Australia is an apolitical organisation that operates to the highest ethical standards and with the utmost integrity, transparency and professionalism in all we do. CropLife Australia is disappointed Four Corners has suggested otherwise and did so entirely unfairly and without foundation.
CropLife Australia participates in a wide range of agricultural political events. These forums are not paid for to achieve a specific policy change, we simply participate to provide factual, scientific information to political and policy decision-makers – the same way many other peak national organisations do.
CropLife acts with openness, integrity and honesty in our professional undertakings. It was entirely unreasonable for Four Corners to impugn CropLife’s reputation simply because we participate along with hundreds of other industry organisations and companies in completely lawful and legitimate advocacy activities.
Four Corners’ opportunistic harnessing of emotional speculation over validated scientific evidence only reinforces the need for an organisation like CropLife Australia to ensure the plant science sector’s interests are represented factually.
Comments Off on Glyphosate debate should be based on scientific evidence
CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector, welcomes public and media interest in glyphosate and crop protection innovations. Consumer safety is the top priority of CropLife and our members.
It is crucial any debate on farming and agricultural chemistry is informed and based on scientific evidence and independent assessment. Public discourse based on hype and myth risks disastrous ramifications for Australia’s agricultural sector and the environmental sustainability of farming. CropLife Australia and our member companies strongly support the robust, rigorous and independent regulatory systems that crop protection products are subjected to here in Australia.
Following an extensive assessment of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) glyphosate monograph, Health Canada, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority all concluded glyphosate is safe to use.
Australia’s own independent regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), undertook a comprehensive reconsideration nomination assessment of glyphosate as recently as 2016 following the IARC report and found no grounds for its approved uses to be reconsidered. The APVMA takes new data, information and science into account when considering the ongoing safety of a registered product. Agricultural chemical registrants have a legislated obligation to supply the APVMA with any new data regarding their products as and when it becomes available. The Australian regulatory system for these products is independent and evidence based to ensure the human health and safety for users and consumers.
Recent evaluations by the European Food Safety Authority, Germany’s Federal Institute for risk assessment (BfR), and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) found unequivocally that glyphosate poses no unacceptable risks either to human health or to the environment.
More than 800 scientific studies and independent regulatory safety assessments support the fact that glyphosate does not cause harm to humans or the environment.
The US Agricultural Health Study investigated the risk between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The study analysed data from over 89,000 farmers and their spouses and found no association between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma – regardless of the exposure level.
Glyphosate is a crucial tool for farmers to manage weeds, improve productivity and protect the environment on which they farm. In broadacre cropping, glyphosate has helped farmers adopt minimum or no tillage practices. With conservation tillage, farmers disturb less soil. Conservation tillage can reduce soil erosion by up to 90 per cent and significantly improve water retention. It also increases and maintains carbon storage.
We encourage all Australians to become informed on these issues from qualified and credible sources.
Comments Off on Current Reporting & Commentary on Glyphosate
CropLife Australia as the national peak industry body for the plant science sector welcomes open and informed discussion on the safety of crop protection products, including glyphosate. CropLife and our members strongly support the robust, rigorous and independent regulatory systems and assessments that these products are subjected to here in Australia. A regulatory system similarly rigorous to that applied to pharmaceuticals.
What is most concerning is the alarmist and significantly misinformed commentary on the safety of glyphosate following a recent San Francisco jury decision. Equal weight appears to be given to views of commentators with clever Twitter handles that have spent no more than two minutes researching the latest social media meme, to that of credible, highly qualified and globally respected medical and toxicological scientists with decades of experience and knowledge on this specific topic.
CropLife encourages all observers and commentators to refer and give primacy to the independent experts on these matters, instead of continuing to inadvertently perpetrate misunderstanding and misinformation and as a consequence escalate community concern unnecessarily. It should be noted that every single independent science based regulatory agency globally has comprehensively evaluated glyphosate and found it safe to use.
The following quotes from experienced, credible, independent, and respected experts are provided below to introduce some perspective and context to this current public discussion:
Paul Pharoah, Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, University of Cambridge
Andrew Bartholomaeus, Consultant toxicologist; Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine University of Queensland; Adjunct Professor Toxicology and Pharmacy, University of Canberra