Portugal's Ministry of Agriculture is waiting for the European authorities to decide on the safety of glyphosate, the herbicide widely used in Portugal and which has been classified as potentially carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.
The ministry also has suggested that the conclusions of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that recently rated Roundup, as "possibly or probably" carcinogenic to humans, may have been hasty.
The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that "the analysis conducted by the German authorities found no evidence of carcinogenic properties in this substance.”
"The German authorities dispute the conclusions drawn by IARC, noting that the entity did not conduct an exhaustive examination of all the available information ... and, therefore, seems to have made an incomplete and biased analysis."
Portugal will wait for the official publication of the conclusions of the European Food Safety Authority, which is to review the report produced by the German authorities from which an opinion will be issued.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient of herbicides marketed in Portugal which have a 64% market share, according to Portugal’s Food and Veterinary Directorate General.
According to officials, there are no "proven cases of poisoning with glyphosate based products" that are used for the control of annual and perennial weeds."
On 25 March, subsequent to the WHO alert, 11 non-governmental organisations working in environment and agriculture submitted their concerns that “the herbicide most sold in Portugal causes cancer,” and asked the Portuguese government to take measures to protect citizens.
Glyphosate in Portugal is sold freely for domestic use in supermarkets, nurseries and other stores and is used by almost all municipalities for cleaning streets of weeds "thus exposing the population to its affects," according to the NGO platform.
Monsanto, producer of Roundup, commented that its products "are safe for human health."
See also
Quercus called for the abandonment of Roundup in Portugal's vineyards
Monsanto seeks retraction for report linking herbicide to cancer (Reuters)
http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/03/24/monsanto-herbicide-idINL2N0WP0UM20150324
Weed Killer, Long Cleared, is Doubted (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/28/business/energy-environment/decades-after-monsantos-roundup-gets-an-all-clear-a-cancer-agency-raises-concerns.html
The Real Reason to Worry About GMOs (Mother Jones)
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/03/bittman-right-its-not-gmos-its-how-theyre-used
Groups seek EPA glyphosate review after WHO 'carcinogenic' link (Agri Pulse)
http://www.agri-pulse.com/Groups-seek-EPA-glyphosate-review-after-WHO-carcinogenic-link-03272015.asp
New study points to link between weedkiller glyphosate and cancer (FT)
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b79a572-cf14-11e4-893d-00144feab7de.html#axzz3XOmCcv9c
More sources:
https://avaazmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/Roundupsources.pdf
