To: Secretary Vilsack, US Dept. of Agriculture
Tell the USDA to test for Roundup®!
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced plans to start testing certain foods for glyphosate -- the most widely used herbicide in the world -- after the World Health Organization’s cancer experts deemed it a probable carcinogen.
FDA and USDA regularly test our food for residues of hundreds of pesticides, but your agency has chosen not to test for glyphosate. The Government Accountability Office recently released a report recommending that USDA disclose limitations in its monitoring and data collection efforts.
In the past 19 years, glyphosate use in U.S. agriculture has increased 20-fold. This is concerning, as studies have linked glyphosate to non-Hodgkins lymphoma and kidney and liver problems. Glyphosate is so widespread in our environment, even small amounts may be harmful due to cumulative exposure. In addition the California EPA is expected to make a similar ruling as the World Health Organization.
In the U.S., the monarch butterfly population has declined at an alarming rate. Their rapid decline is linked to a variety of factors including climate change, severe weather events, disease and predation, but the leading factor is the loss of their breeding habitat, which is due to increases in the planting of genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, engineered to survive large doses of glyphosate. Monarchs are the “canary in the cornfield” telling us that our agricultural system is not sustainable or healthy.
I urge USDA to follow the recommendations of the GAO, and to follow in the footsteps of FDA and other countries around the world by agreeing to test for glyphosate in its annual pesticide data program (PDP); disclose its limitations in its monitoring and data collection efforts; and take necessary actions to fix any limitations that exist in monitoring and data collection efforts.
Sincerely
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced plans to start testing certain foods for glyphosate -- the most widely used herbicide in the world -- after the World Health Organization’s cancer experts deemed it a probable carcinogen.
FDA and USDA regularly test our food for residues of hundreds of pesticides, but your agency has chosen not to test for glyphosate. The Government Accountability Office recently released a report recommending that USDA disclose limitations in its monitoring and data collection efforts.
In the past 19 years, glyphosate use in U.S. agriculture has increased 20-fold. This is concerning, as studies have linked glyphosate to non-Hodgkins lymphoma and kidney and liver problems. Glyphosate is so widespread in our environment, even small amounts may be harmful due to cumulative exposure. In addition the California EPA is expected to make a similar ruling as the World Health Organization.
In the U.S., the monarch butterfly population has declined at an alarming rate. Their rapid decline is linked to a variety of factors including climate change, severe weather events, disease and predation, but the leading factor is the loss of their breeding habitat, which is due to increases in the planting of genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, engineered to survive large doses of glyphosate. Monarchs are the “canary in the cornfield” telling us that our agricultural system is not sustainable or healthy.
I urge USDA to follow the recommendations of the GAO, and to follow in the footsteps of FDA and other countries around the world by agreeing to test for glyphosate in its annual pesticide data program (PDP); disclose its limitations in its monitoring and data collection efforts; and take necessary actions to fix any limitations that exist in monitoring and data collection efforts.
Sincerely
Why is this important?
Roundup® is terrible for people and the planet. It’s a probable carcinogen. We are likely eating it every day in our food. And its massive overuse has destroyed critical habitat, leading to the decline of monarch butterflies.
Sign the petition: Tell the USDA to test for this toxic pesticide in our food!
Sign the petition: Tell the USDA to test for this toxic pesticide in our food!