The herbicide thus enables them to achieve up to 22 percent higher yields. For farmers, it is thus an important component for working economically and protecting the environment at the same time. At the end of April 2020, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) published new findings. It concludes that the maximum residue levels of glyphosate in and on food are harmless to consumers.

No danger from food

After glyphosate was classified as "probably carcinogenic" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015, political pressure increased. However, all national and international regulatory authorities classify the herbicide as "non-carcinogenic". The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) took more than 1,000 scientific studies into account in its assessment of glyphosate. In 2016, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office launched a food monitoring programme. It investigated the exposure of the population to glyphosate. For this purpose, it took 230 food samples from 19 categories (e.g. wine, bread, vegetables, etc.). The samples confirm that the glyphosate residues found in the food are low and do not pose a health risk.

Glyphosate only affects plant organisms

Glyphosate is the best-studied herbicide in the world. It is primarily used on agricultural land, i.e. on fields that do not serve as the primary habitat and food source for insects. Where wheat or maize is grown, a flowering meadow cannot provide food for insects at the same time. Not only does it degrade very quickly in the soil. Even in humans and animals, minimal residues that have already been found in tests are excreted in a short time via the liver. Glyphosate itself only affects plant organisms. Nonetheless, many are holding out for a future phase-out of glyphosate.

Improved analytics

In recent years, there have been increasing reports of traces of glyphosate in foods such as pasta, beer or oatmeal. However, this is not due to farmers being less careful with glyphosate. The more frequent detections are rather due to the enormous technical progress in analytical techniques. It is now possible to analytically measure the fraction of a sugar cube in Lake Constance. Ever since Paracelsus, we have known the principle: quantity makes the poison. Perhaps this is one reason why critics almost never give concrete quantities when they point to glyphosate residues in food. Mostly, the amounts are in the microgram range - that is the millionth part of a gram or 0.000'001 grams. Glyphosate has a lower toxicity than table salt or baking powder and only affects plant organisms.

Less CO2 emissions

In Swiss agriculture, glyphosate is mainly used to protect soils from erosion. Glyphosate kills weeds before sowing. If the active ingredient is banned, more ploughing will be done in agriculture again. This has negative effects on various soil organisms such as earthworms. In addition, the danger of erosion is particularly great when the soil is ploughed up. When it rains, the soil is washed away from the field even on a slight slope. Instead of building up humus, it is washed away. Soil fertility decreases. An additional problem: the layers of soil that are repeatedly broken up can bind less CO2. This has a negative effect on the climate. French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume also points this out in the Figaro. Conservation tillage is not possible without the use of glyphosate. For this reason, farmers in France will be allowed to continue using glyphosate from 2021, despite the planned ban.