Glyphosate is most commonly used in agricultural crop production and has become synonymous with genetically modified (GM) herbicide tolerant (HT) cops. HT maize now accounts for 50% of all GM maize planted in South Africa. GM soya cultivation rose from 165 000 ha in 2008 to 472 000 ha in 2012. Over a similar period (2005 - 2012), the overall use of glyphosate has increased from 12 million litres to 20 million litres. Similarly, from 2007 to 2011 glyphosate imports increased by 177%.
According to the ACB study, far from being the benign substance claimed by the pesticide industry, notably Monsanto, glyphosate exerts a heavy toll on plants, the soil, wildlife and aquatic systems. The ACB research points to a number of risks associated with glyphosate use which include:
"Although our National Water Act requires the Minister of Water Affairs to establish systems to monitor and protect the health of our water resources glyphosate has, up until now, been overlooked for study. South Africa has not even set a maximum residue level for glyphosate in water," says Gareth Jones, a researcher at the ACB.
"Until more information is gathered, we would recommend a moratorium on the use of glyphosate in South Africa. The recently published Seralini study into the severe health impacts on rats given water containing traces of glyphosate, is a damning indictment of the pesticide industry's assurances that glyphosate is safe. Until we have more independent scientific evidence on the safety of glyphosate, we should err on the side of caution," says Mariam Mayet, director of the ACB.