The end of Round-up

Roundup is the brand name for glyphosate, one of the top herbicides used in conventional grain farming. It's also sold at hardware and farm stores for anyone to use on their gardens and lawns. 

 ***Correction*** Consumer grade round up like you can buy at the hardwear store no longer contains glyphosate.

Glyphosate was discovered by a chemist working for Monsanto in 1970. In 1974 they released it to the public as Roundup.   

In the early 1990s Monsanto released "Roundup Ready Soy," and the use of glyphosate exploded. Because the soy plants are immune to the roundup, it can be applied in heavier and heavier applications.  Interestingly enough this is also right about the time that peanut and other food allergies started to climb.  

I'll also add that glyphosate is also applied to wheat just before harvest. So it's also worth noting that rates of celiac rates have increased by 4-5 times since the 1950s. A 2020 screening study in Colorado found that 2.4% of the 10,000 children tested had an initial positive result for celiac disease.

To quote The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien.

“Are we allergic to food or are we increasingly allergic to what’s been done to it?” If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it. It was the first book I read concerning this vein of our food system and really opened my eyes.  

Glyphosate has also been linked to cancer, especially non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And this is where we come back around to the story I read about Bayer AG ceasing production of Roundup.  

Over the last 10 years, since Bayer AG acquired Monsanto, they have paid out nearly 11 BILLION in lawsuits related to cancer.  There have been some major payouts, including a recent jury verdict ordering them to pay 2 billion to one person. Now I will say I think that that's a pretty ridiculous amount for a single person to get in a lawsuit.  

The average settlement has been about $160,000. For a rough estimate let's divide $9 Billion by $160,000 which equals 56,250. That's a lot of people who have been able to prove their cancer or other health issue was linked to the use of Roundup.  Now think about how many others have not been able to file lawsuits...Undocumented or immigrant farm workers, people who didn't know they got sick from it, and people who couldn't take action. My assumption is there are a lot more than 56,250 that have health issues directly related to the application of Roundup personally or for work.  

So one might think that Bayer AG announcing the end of production of Roundup would be because they know it causes health issues...I mean knowing that your product causes harm should be enough to redirect...

Not the case.  

Bayer AG is using the 'threat' of stopping Roundup production to try to strong-arm states and the Supreme Court into granting them immunity from lawsuits. They say if they stop making it, farmers will have to import glyphosate from China. North Dakota and Georgia already have bills in place, headed to their governors that would provide protection to Bayer AG from lawsuits.  

I know that switching from Roundup to other methods of weed management would be a struggle for many conventional farmers. The heavy use of these types of herbicides has created a chemical dependence AND super weeds to fight off. Many people I'm sure ended up using these products because they were told it was the only way. 

Conventional farming is addicted to Glyphosate. Like kicking any chemical dependency, there will be some painful withdrawals, but we know it can be done. I really hope we see some states standing up and saying they won't allow Bayer AG to have immunity. I really hope we see more support of farmers working hard to make the shift to organic weed and pest management.  

I know that was a long one! And truly just an overview of the pile of information I gathered this week on the topic. My hope is that the more of us that know and understand, the bigger positive collective voice we will have.