by
Government Affairs Team
| Aug 31, 2018
BREAKING NEWS: In October, a judge in California moved to grant Monsanto a new trial after a jury verdict found its herbicide had caused a man’s terminal cancer. The San Francisco superior court judge cited the “insufficiency of the evidence to justify the award for punitive damages” in a tentative written ruling issued before a hearing. She is expected to make a final decision after attorneys submit additional arguments.
Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, had immediately appealed the verdict, which included punitive damages and economic losses.
Monsanto sought to overturn the verdict and has continued to argue that it is safe to use glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide. Glyphosate-based products, including the Roundup and Ranger Pro brands, are now worth billions of dollars in revenues, approved for use on more than 100 crops, and registered in 130 countries.
A jury recently ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages to a plaintiff who alleged that his cancer was the result of using Roundup. For more than 40 years, superintendents, farmers, gardeners, conservationists and other users have counted on glyphosate as a cost-effective tool that can be used to control a wide range of weeds. More than 800 scientific studies and reviews, the U.S. EPA, the U.S. National Cancer Institute, the European Food Safety Authority, and regulatory bodies around the globe have determined that glyphosate is safe for use as directed. The lawsuit is just the first part of what could be a prolonged legal fight over glyphosate.
More information on scientific studies associated with glyphosate can be found at:
GCSAA believes pesticide laws and regulations should be based on sound science supported by credible peer reviewed data and university recommendations. Sound science includes the recognized/accepted science methodologies and practices for research that follow the high standards of the scientific method.
The responsible use of pesticides is essential to maintaining healthy turfgrass. Golf courses employ licensed pesticide applicators that are required to pass state administered exams and complete continuing education each year. These applicators are trained in the safe and proper use of pesticides. Golf course superintendents follow Integrated Pest Management practices including but not limited to scouting, monitoring (weather, outbreaks, etc.) and implementing specific cultural practices that incorporates science-based pest management. (Golf Course Environmental Profile, Phase II, Vol. III, 2016)
GCSAA supports the federal/state regulatory framework for the evaluation of pesticides and believes that all pesticide uses should be under the legal primacy of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). GCSAA and its members have and will continue to provide accurate and usable data to the regulatory and scientific communities for use in Registration Review implementation decisions. The continued availability of safe, effective and economically viable pesticide products is a priority for GCSAA and its members.
Additional resources:
For more information, contact GCSAA’s government affairs department at 800-472-7878.