THE CASE FOR ROUNDUP
Farmers like Gary and Bill have a measured
response to chemicals. Roundup, a glysophate
used as a broad spectrum herbicide in
contemporary cropping programs, is considered a
benign chemical by mainstream agribusiness, with
some enthusiasts going so far as to say it is safe
enough to drink.
Some of the farmers who use Roundup are
coming from a background where herbicides
such as 245T – otherwise known as Agent
Orange – were widely used in the 1960s and
1970s. This product contained dioxin: a ‘chemical
impurity’ highly toxic to humans that was banned
by governments across Australia in the 1980s
and 90s. (http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/
stories/2013/07/22/3806111.htm)
In this context Roundup appears a palatable
proposition, but concerns about its potential
harmful effects persist. Roundup’s heavy use
in agriculture can be seen as analogous to the
situation in bio-medicine, where overuse of
antibiotics has led to new strains of bacteria that
are immune to previously effective medicines.
29
The local thistles