Chances are you’ve heard of Roundup, the glyphosate-based weedkiller that has been produced and sold by agrochemical giant Monsanto for decades. The widely-used herbicide has generated more than a few headlines over the years, most recently in relation to a surge of cancer-related litigation against Monsanto. Some 11,000 plaintiffs have sued Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer last year, alleging that their use of the herbicide caused their cancer.
Terra Verde host and Earth Island Journal Managing Editor Zoe Loftus-Farren talks with Carey Gillam and Bill Freese about glyphosate use, Monstano’s campaign to influence the science around its safety, and the Roundup trials currently proceeding in court. Gillam is an investigative journalist, author of the book Whitewash: The story of a weedkiller, cancer, and the corruption of science, and Research Director with US Right to Know. Freese is a science policy analyst with the Center for Food Safety, which fights the industrial food model and promotes ecological alternatives.