OT: glyphosate

[Tim Streater]

I'm seeing on twitter that Bayer has bought Monsanto, and that as a result Germany has suddenly decided that glyphosate is good for us instead of being evil.

[T i m]

The chances are that overview will be BS.

However, it's about some one of the EU member states made some sort of decision as that saves the EU and having to step in and resolve it for us (after one of the member states raised the point in the first place).

Cheers, T i m

[harry]

[Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp]

I don't think so, not suddenly, the decision was already put on hold.

Have no fear that the UK government might have an input, their only use for the EU was as a scapegoat to blame their incompetence on when they thought it might be problematical blaming labour.

AB

[The Natural Philosopher]

ROFLMAO!

Of course.

German companies own the German government and the EU.

CorruptEUn innit?

[Brian Gaff]

They must be in the minority then as according to the EU they are all going to embrace GM but without the need to use a particular product to get rid of pests as a lot of these chemicals are bad for insects like bees. Brian

[Roger Hayter]

Glyphosate is a herbicide, not an insecticide. And quite useful.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its almost indispensable for modern farming.

Its effects on insects is arguable: Most crop fields are free of insects because they are sprayed with something else.

[Roger Hayter]

Most formulations are with a surfactant. On their own, surfactants are insecticidal, and especially destructive to aquatic life. I don't think there is an easy solution as the surfactant is necessary to get the spray to stick to leaves long enough.

[harry]

Many crops need insects to pollinate them.

[Reentrant]

None of the cereals (wheat, barley, oats, maize etc) - all wind pollinated. None of the root vegetables - don't need pollination. (Seed production might) Oil seed rape - better yield if bees around but does wind-pollinate too.

Definitely needed for most fruits, but you don't spray trees, bushes or greenhouse crops with glyphosate.

Peas and beans are most vulnerable.

I am a beekeeper, and don't have a problem with farmers using glyphosate or neonicotinoids responsibly.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Good point.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yebbut the honey tastes crap!

Exactly.

In fafct the only times I have seen glypohisate in use is to spray out public footpaths that cross crop fields, to kill oil seed rape all at once so it all dries out for harvesting and to control invasion by wild weeds on the field margins.

Glyphosate kills crops too, you know.

Mmm I expect so.

[Tim Lamb]

ISTR they were stressing about some minuscule cancer risk.

Also the link to GM upsets the greens.