It’s Time to Ban Glyphosate!
Glyphosate, the world’s most-used herbicide, is almost impossible to avoid. Glyphosate is in your water, in much of of the food you eat, in the soils growing that food, in forests, rivers and streams, and in wildlife.
The science is clear to us. Glyphosate is harming our health and the environment. Yet pesticide regulators are still “monitoring” the science and refusing to take action.
On September 15, 2022 the courageous film producer, Jennifer Baichwal, filed a citizen’s petition to Parliament to ban glyphosate and to reduce pesticide use. Until January 13, 2023, residents of Canada can take action by signing Petition e-4127. It will be presented to Parliament and the Minister of Health must respond.
The petition is inspired by Baichwals’ award winning documentary, “Into the Weeds”, which opens the fall season of CBC’s Passionate Eye on Friday, September 16. It can be streamed on CBC Gem thereafter. It follows Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, …Read More
Comments on Targeted Review of PCPA
Some types of Foods Affected by Pesticides, Gene-editing
This post provides the detailed comments submitted by Safe Food Matters to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) consultation on the “Targeted Review” of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).
Comments SFM on Dis Dic 2022-01vFinalDownload
By way of background, In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation was the result. Discussion Document 2022-01 set out 3 objectives, and asked for answers to questions on each. The list was set out in Annex 3.
We previously wrote about these objectives. The first objective on “Modernized Business Processes” asked questions on setting MRLs and “Continuous Oversight”, and we discussed it in this previous post. We discussed the second objective “Improved Transparency” here, and the third objective “Increased Use of Real-word Data and Independent Advice/Evidence” here.
PMRA also said it would take comments …Read More
Consultation on Targeted Review of Pesticides Act: Improved Transparency
This post is about providing comments on the second objective of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) consultation on the “Targeted Review” of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). In Summer, 2021, there was public outcry to proposed increases to “maximum residue limits” of pesticides in food, and this consultation (set out in Discussion Document 2022-01) is the result. The extended deadline for comments is June 30, 2022.Below at the heading “Objective 2 – Improved Transparency” are our comments on the second objective. Our thoughts on the third and last objective, “Increased Use of Real-word Data and Independent Advice/Evidence” are forthcoming.
Background: By way of background, Discussion Document 2022-01 sets out 3 objectives, and asks for answers to questions on each. The list is in Annex 3. The first objective, “Modernized Business Processes”, which had questions on setting MRLs and “Continuous Oversight”, was discussed in our previous post.
Although …Read More
Glyphosate MRL Proposal Not Based on Sound Science
PMRA’s Proposal to increase glyphosate in legumes is not consistent with science or the law
Here’s an update to the glyphosate MRL story, the story of Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA) proposal to permit more glyphosate in foods. Safe Food Matters Inc. (SFM) and Prevent Cancer Now (PCN) received information on the “confidential test data” underlying PMRL 2021-10 (the Proposal). The data was received from PMRA on January 28, 2022, more than eight months after the date it was requested, May 12, 2021.
The groups report that the scientific and legal basis for the Proposal is ill-founded. This article provides a summary of the submission of SFM and PCN on the Proposal, which was provided to PMRA on April 13, 2022 (further to an extension granted to the two organizations). The full submission can be downloaded here.
The comments make various points. First, PMRA did not have jurisdiction to increase the glyphosate maximum …Read More
A Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change the Law
Safe Food Matters logs key win on glyphosate case in Canada
The Federal Court of Appeal handed Safe Food Matters a major win on February 2, 2022 when it ordered Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to take another look at the group’s notice of objection to PMRA’s 2017 decision to re-register glyphosate in Canada.
The case, Safe Food Matters Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), is the first decision of the Federal Court of Appeal on PMRA and on glyphosate, the most used and by-far most controversial pesticide in the world. It comes at a time when Europe is debating registration, and US legal cases on re-registration are in the works.
What is remarkable is the case (SFM Case) was taken and won by a tiny group with no financial backing, a lawyer with a conscience, GoFund Me supporters and others. Here’s the story of this small group.
THE STORY
In 2015, PMRA …Read More
Safe Food Matters Wins Glyphosate Court Case!
Back to the drawing board for PMRA to address the glyphosate objection
February 2, 2022. The Federal Court of Appeal has issued a decision in favour of Safe Food Matters in a court case concerning the pesticide glyphosate. The decision remits the matter back to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for reconsideration, and offers strong guidance to PMRA to avoid “the endless merry-go-round” of court applications and reconsiderations.
In 2017, Safe Food Matters (and others) filed objections to PMRA’s decision RVD2017-01 to re-register glyphosate in Canada, and PMRA rejected the objections in 2019 with a form letter and dismissive reasons. Safe Food Matters filed in Federal Court, lost, then appealed. The win means a review panel could still be struck to review RVD2017-01 and recommend that it be confirmed, reversed or varied.
Mary Lou McDonald, LL.B., President of Safe Food Matters, commented:
When we started this case, we said ‘we believe in the …Read More
Le glyphosate en cour 9 décembre 2021
Le glyphosate fera l’objet d’un examen minutieux de la Cour d’appel fédérale du Canada le 9 décembre 2021. Safe Food Matters Inc. veut un examen de la décision de 2017 qui a permis au produit de rester enregistré au Canada pendant plus de 15 ans.
Ce cas diffère des autres cas de glyphosate. Celui-ci porte sur les mesures prises par l’organisme de réglementation, l’Agence de réglementation de la lutte antiparasitaire (ARLA), et non sur la question de savoir si le produit chimique cause le cancer.
Mary Lou McDonald, présidente de Safe Food Matters Inc., a déclaré :
« Nous ne pensons pas que l’ARLA ait effectué une évaluation valide du glyphosate avant de prendre sa décision concernant l’homologation. Nous leur avons donné un avis avec des objections détaillées et réfléchies, étayées par des preuves scientifiques et scientifiques crédibles, et l’ARLA vient de les rejeter d’un coup de main. Nous demandons à …Read More
Glyphosate in Court December 9, 2021
Glyphosate will be under scrutiny by Canada ‘s Federal Court of Appeal on December 9, 2021. Safe Food Matters Inc. wants a review of the 2017 decision that allowed the product to stay registered in Canada for another 15 plus years.
This case differs from other glyphosate cases. This one is about the actions of the regulator, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), not about whether the chemical causes cancer.
Mary Lou McDonald, President of Safe Food Matters Inc. stated:
“We don’t think PMRA performed a valid assessment of glyphosate before making its registration decision. We gave them a notice with detailed and thoughtful objections, backed up with credible science and scientific rationale, and PMRA just dismissed them out of hand. We are asking the Court to look at what PMRA did, to hold them to account for proper decision-making.”Mary Lou McDonald, President, Safe Food Matters Inc.
If the Court agrees, a review panel …Read More
Backgrounder to appeal/ document d’information sur l’appel
Le Français suit
Canadian non-profit, founded in 2016, dedicated to protecting health and protecting the environment, with a focus on the safety of food production technologies.
Campaigns have included GM foods and synthetic biology.
Taking Health Canada to the Federal Court of Appeal over its risk assessment of glyphosate.
Who We Are
Context
Glyphosate (Roundup) was registered for use in Canada in 1976 as a weed killer.In the 2000s farmers started to spray it right onto growing crops to kill them. The goal was to “dry-down” or “desiccate” the crops for efficiency purposes: (1) the timing of harvest could be scheduled, and (2) crops wouldn’t be wet so easier to harvest in one pass with big machines. This is “pre-harvest treatment” or “desiccation”.
Problem
When glyphosate is sprayed on crops that are growing, it moves through the roots into the plant’s circulation system and then binds to and moves with the nutrients right into the priority growing …Read More
SAFE FOOD MATTERS, BUT NOT TO HEALTH CANADA ?
BUT NOT TO HEALTH CANADA ?
Safe food matters to you and me, but does it matter to Health Canada? We aren’t convinced. Why not? We have been in a David vs. Goliath battle with them since 2017 regarding their regulatory approach to safe food, and have two basic observations. First, in our view, Health Canada hasn’t followed the intent or the letter of the law. Second, the conduct of the regulator has been problematic.
This article provides detail on these two points. With respect to the first point, it explains how on our file Health Canada did not conduct a strong risk assessment, was not transparent, and delayed the file by more than a decade.
On the second point, it shows that the regulator: was not upfront about the process, did not provide relevant documents, did not provide the qualifications of reviewing scientists, and worked to counter rather than properly consider the …Read More
