Have your say by July 20th!

Issue

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is proposing to increase the amount of glyphosate (Roundup®) permitted in Canadian food. Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) may be doubled, tripled or almost quadrupled for oats and bran, lentils, peas and 25 types of beans such as chickpeas, kidney beans and pinto beans, as well as nuts (almonds, pecans and walnuts, mostly coming from the US).

Crop

Current MRL

(ppm)

Proposed MRL

(ppm)

Proposed Increase

Oats and bran

15

35

2.3 fold

Lentils

4

10

2.5 fold

Peas

5

10

2.0 fold

Beans

4

15

3.75 fold

Nuts

0.4 ppm

1

2.5 fold

Why? Farmers are using more glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). This amounts to regulation of the status quo.

As weeds become resistant, higher herbicide doses affect the environment, contaminate our food and risk our health. This model threatens Organic Agriculture, and does not optimize carbon capture in soil, support biodiversity, nor build resilience to face the climate crisis.

Whose food will be most affected?

Canadian children. Glyphosate in childrens’ cereals (in oats and bran) are already at alarming levels

Vegetarians, vegans and everyone who gains protein from “conventionally” grown legumes and nuts are at risk of consuming more glyphosate.

Health risks were not evaluated

PMRA provided no health-based justification to increase herbicide contamination. indeed, health effects were not examined. The Proposal and related Evaluation Report obtained from the PMRA aim to adjust the regulation to suit increased use of GBHs.  

Increased legume contamination was based on data presented at a May 2019 Joint Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) meeting.  PMRA provided no scientific information on oats and bran. A dietary risk assessment was referenced, based on a 2005­–2010 US survey, “What We Eat in America.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

HAVE YOUR SAY, BY TUESDAY JULY 20th

Tell the PMRA what you think of PMRL2021-10.

Email your comments to hc.pmra.publications-arla.sc@canada.ca, or comment online, on “Proposed measures” for PMRL2021-10.

Please consider sharing your input:  Info@PreventCancerNow.ca  and  SafeFoodMatters@gmail.com

Comments should have a scientific basis and reference the content of PMRL2021-10.

To get you started, here are some of our concerns.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Concerns

1.  Glyphosate is already ubiquitous in agricultural regions. Higher MRLs will increase contamination on and beyond farms, and will put even more glyphosate into our food.

Glyphosate is in the soil, air and waterways, drifting in dust and falling in the rain in agricultural areas in North America. When crops are killed and dry out rapidly before harvest (dessication), the herbicide moves into the bean or seed.

2.  Glyphosate is a potent chemical – a herbicide, an antibiotic and a chelator – affecting human and environmental health.
  • As a chelator, glyphosate binds with and may mobilize metals in soil. Toxic metals such as cadmium (which is naturally high in many Prairie soils and Canadian potash fertilizer) is hyper-accumulated in grains and can exceed international MRLs (cadmium is not listed among Canada’s maximum levels for chemical contaminants in food). Cadmium, a known carcinogen, accumulates in bone and can disable essential enzymes, causing widespread disruption of the functioning of the body’s systems, damaging kidneys, impairing child development, promoting chronic disease and causing cancers.
3.  Increased use of GBHs will further impact Canadian Organic Agriculture.

Organic commodities are already challenged by glyphosate contamination from drift, dust, possible contamination during shipping / handling and other consequences of ubiquitous environmental contamination from non-organic agriculture [2014, COTA Glyphosate Residue report].

This threat to Canadian Organic Agriculture is being averted in ways that leave behind protection of food safety. “Organic” now means that farmers follow prescribed on-farm practices, but recognises that organic food cannot mean “pesticide-free” because of contamination from off-farm sources. The scale of GBH use and associated off-target contamination results in organic commodities losing markets, particularly in the EU and Asia where the MRLs for organic foods are much lower or zero-tolerance.

GBHs are no longer labelled to permit pre-harvest application intended to rapidly kill and dry grains, beans and seeds, because glyphosate accumulates in immature seeds. Nevertheless, such desiccation still occurs because the labels allow GBHs to be used pre-harvest to kill unwanted plants after seeds are sufficiently hardened. Moreover, glyphosate accumulation is inevitable in indeterminant cultivars such as some legumes (like chickpeas and lentils) that continue to grow and develop seeds.

4.  GBHs are not a sustainable solution to the climate emergency.

No-till agriculture, that is reliant on GBHs, is being advanced as a solution to the climate crisis under the term “Regenerative Agriculture.” The buzz word “regenerative” lacks definition, but is perceived to be synonymous with protecting soil health. The much-emphasized no-till agriculture depends on  substantial use of GBHs to reduce weeds, and results in only short-term, shallow carbon sequestration.  When measuring carbon capture, soils must be tested at a depth of at least one metre, as it is known that carbon in the upper 10 to 20 centimeters can come and go. Longer-term storage, that happens at greater depths, is only possible using Organic Regenerative Techniques of farming that protect soil health at every soil depth.

For More Information:

Meg Sears PhD, Prevent Cancer Now Mary Lou McDonald, SafeFoodMatters
meg@preventcancernow.ca SafeFoodMatters@gmail.com
613 297-6042 905 467-8531

 

34 Comments

  1. This is ridiculous we already have spraying of Glyphosate on our forests on our crops and Health Canada wants to increase it, why? Do not increase the amount of this poison on our crops our health is at risk now with the amount we consume.

  2. Health Canada needs to lose the word ‘health’. This is the pure antithesis of ‘health’ – unleashing even more toxins/carcinogens on an unsuspecting public.

  3. Collaboratively we ask the Canadian government to please not increase the allowable amount of glyphosate pesticide/herbicide in Canada food products. Glyphosate kills aquatic life by suffocation. Decimates top soil biosphere crucial to carbon sequestration. It is a cancer causing chemical to human beings and animals. Please support ecological farmers association of Ontario, The nongmo project , and sustainable agriculture. Let’s work with experienced organic farmers.
    Sincerely,
    Anna Jongman BN, RN

  4. I’m a farmer. If Health Canada actually wants to help the situation, they would give every farmer Gabe Brown’s book titled “Dirt to Soil”. Not only has this book helped farmers around the world to stop using glyphosate, it’s increased their soil health, increased the nutrient density of their food, and INCREASED PROFITS. After implementing the practices on my own farm and seeing the results, I’ve shared it with a few other farmers and they’ve been able to decrease the chemical sprays. Each year they will be able to use less and less chemicals. I believe the answer is to ban glyphosate, give farmers 10 years to come off it while having education sessions on how to change farming practices.

  5. Given the demonstratable harm caused by the continued use of GBHs, and the proposal to increase the amounts utilized in the agricultural industry, this is tantamount to willful endangerment of people and the environment.
    It is literally a crime against humanity.

  6. Health Canada needs to be held accountable, and do a better job with protecting our food with respect to known toxins.

    This goes for the use of pesticides in local and imported produce.

    There really is no excuse for this basic oversight.

  7. Ok, I’ve tried to be calm re covid, “vaccines”, masks … but seriously, WTH???
    With levels in our children (and even while still in the womb) at critical levels … Health Canada’s infinite wisdom says “let’s add more”?????
    Maybe we should change the name to “Cancer Canada” or “Death Canada”, as glyphosate has NOTHING to do with the health of our communities.

  8. How dare to you increase glyphosate!! You are fully aware of of it’s devestating risk to see our health!
    Health Canada cares nothing about the people and please do something to try to restore our broken trust and stop this

  9. Why would you want to poison us with more Glyphosate? You have to be a sicko to promote this poison in our foods. I will look at the labels on all the foods I buy and I will not buy anything that says Glyphosate. I say NO!!!!!! To this poison in our foods.

  10. Nobody wants more poisons into our bodies. People are sick with cancer, chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases, their immune systems don’t work. When will people realize that we have another DDT at hand? This is yet another crime against humanity. Only huge bribes can make somebody agree with this poisoning of humans and killing of the insects, birds and animals. The government is using every tool in their toolbox to make us sick.

  11. Round up stops the uptake of nutrients in plants and people as well! No nutrients equals diseases! Autoimmune dieseses like cancer! Please say no, like Argentina did! So many birth defects down there, they burnt down Monsanto’s buildings!

  12. No other countries will buy this
    poison, only Canadians will be force
    to eat this. Don’t forget to VOTE,
    in the upcoming federal elections .

  13. J’ai toujours pensé qu’agriculture Canada était là pour protéger la santé de ses citoyens. Si ils acceptent l’augmentation de glyphosate dans nos cultures , on risque d’être une population de moins en moins en santé.Il n’y a pas de quoi être fier de vous.

  14. Hello,
    I support the work of Safe Food Matters who are wanting to improve the Federal Regulations to better protect our human and environmental health. We’ve heard that the Pest Management Regulations Agency is proposing to increase the amount of the herbicide glyphosate permitted in our foods. Many other countries are reducing or banning it’s use to improve the quality of our food and environment for our improved health. I fully support their goals.

  15. Glyphosate is extremely harmful to bees, animals, children and adults,. causing inflammatory bowel disease and other ailments. There are law suits in the United States with farmers stating that this chemical has caused cancers. IT is unconscionable to allow glyphosate to be sprayed on fields or added to foods. I am appalled at Health Canada’s decisions.

  16. When will Canadians realize that our health is more important than profits and demand that our government be proactive in reducing the garbage in our “food”. It is bad enough that food companies can do what they like with food and not be transparent about it but to have things like glychosulphate in our food but how can any thinking person be complacent about increasing these levels, especially in foods that young children are eating.

    Wake up and be heard!

  17. Biodiversity supports functioning ecosystems..the NATURAL way…not with POISON! Our world is now full of poisons and people are now sIck from the result. Wake up humans! Mother nature is warning us, in many ways.

  18. Hi @Health Canada Your are Making A Dangerous Mistake by Propsing More Glyphosate in The FOOD that goes into Our Food Because it’s Danger to Our Environment and OUR HEALTH ‘Our Economy And Tourism And the World! P.s We Already have been Getting a Very Hard Time To GET Healthy Food For Months From Anyse Gaudet

  19. I agree with the material I read.
    Let’s have healthy, affordable food.
    We can’t eat the money we may save by using chemicals to increase production.
    Let us stop polluting our earth.
    Best wishes,
    Edda Loomes

  20. Here’s what we just wrote to: hc.pmra.publications-arla.sc@canada.ca

    PMRL2021-10 Please no more glyphosate (Roundup®) in Canadian food

    Dear Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA),

    Please do not allow any increase in the amount of glyphosate (Roundup®) permitted in Canadian food.

    We do not need more toxins in our children’s cereals, or anyone’s food supply or environment in Canada! We clearly need a DECREASE in dangerous chemicals in our foods, water, air, and children.

    We need a return to more natural farming methods. The huge and always growing popularity among Canadians for local, healthy, humanely-raised and organically-grown food is clear.

    The number of Canadians who would choose such goods if not for the corrupt price-skewing of government subsidies and corporate influence, would of course be exponentially much greater!

    So far, three successful law suits have found glyphosates causal to terrible cancers, and also found that, in fact, Monsanto acted with malice, oppression, or fraud in suppressing and contesting the science and influencing regulators!

    Thanks for listening and considering citizen input, wellness, and the health and sustainability of SMALL FARMERS over corporate profits.

    Sincerely,
    Ira Rabinovitch & Melanie Robitaille

  21. Glyphosphate should be phased out for use everywhere in Canada. The French are no different than we, and they all have traces of it present within them.

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/france-people-contaminated-glyphosate/

    Read “The Silent Killer” by Stefanie Seneff. She also wants Glyphos removed everywhere, and proves why it should be.

    I think we are entering a solar spot driven mini ice age (I’ve shovelled the driveway 25 times this year so far!), and our leaders are taking us down the garden path on the “Climate” B.S. If you live in Canada or the Northern USA, be ready to adapt plant production for longer and cooler springs, shorter summers. Eliot Coleman (the Winter Harvest Handbook) is an excellent resource on this.

    For an education on the Climate Change™ B.S. and how it will affect you, see these titles –

    Read “Not by fire, but by ice” by Robert W Felix
    Read “Behind the Green Mask” by Rosa Koire
    Read “Human Caused Global Warming” & “The Deliberate Corruption of Climate Science” by Tim Ball
    Read “But Is It True?” by Aaron Wildavsky
    Read “Green Shackles, Blue Planet” by Vaclav Klaus
    Read “Cloak of Green” by Elaine Dewar

    Bill Gates (apparently the largest private landowner in the USA now) just wrote an essay in Wired Magazines Annual 2022 laced with threats on how Climate is the club that will be used to beat all of us over the head with.

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