Herbicide Sprayed on Adzuki Beans 09"[Fact Check]German Officials Slap Down Taiwan's Pesticide Companies and Authorities, Confirming "Glufosinate Has Been Banned in the EU"
Less than four months after the withdrawal of paraquat, a single sip of which can be fatal, the Taiwan government plans to approve another herbicide, glufosinate, as a desiccant before the harvest of adzuki beans. Yet after the announcement of a pesticide residue tolerance of 2ppm, not only are consumers worried about food safety risks, but after Newsmarket reported that glufosinate is neurotoxic and highly reproductively toxic, and was banned by the EU in 2018, even the farmers spraying it on the front lines have begun to worry about their own health and that of their families.
To reassure both consumers and users, the Council of Agriculture has repeatedly stressed that all standards have undergone rigorous scientific research and expert assessment. However, after Newsmarket reporters combed through EU documents and interviewed experts one by one in Germany, France, Sweden and other countries, they discovered the truth about glufosinate that Taiwan officials and pesticide companies would rather the public not know.
Germany: "Glufosinate Has Already Been Banned in the EU," Slapping Down Taiwan's Pesticide Companies and Officials
Because Taiwan has only limited understanding of the situation in the EU, the Council of Agriculture invited a special guest to its June 23 press conference, Chin Pao-hua, chairman of CropLife Taiwan, to clear up everyone's doubts: "Glufosinate was not subject to an application to renew its license because of commercial considerations; that does not mean the EU banned it." More notably, Chin Pao-hua is also an associate director at BASF, the major glufosinate manufacturer.
Behind the lofty name "CropLife" is the world's most influential pesticide and biotech lobbying group, promoting pesticides, GM technology and control of seeds around the world. Besides BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, and Dow and DuPont before their merger are all key players. Monsanto alone contributed 530,000 US dollars (about 16 million Taiwan dollars) to CropLife International in 2015. Some experts involved in government review procedures are also consultants to these international giants, with no conflict-of-interest recusal, raising doubts among many in Europe and the US about the impartiality of the assessment reports.
Former Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine director-general Feng Hai-tung struck the same note as BASF Taiwan, saying at the Council of Agriculture's July 6 expert meeting: "Glufosinate was abandoned because the industry did not submit an application; it was not a ban. It went from an approved status back to an unapproved status. Don't think of it so strongly. It is mainly that some properties are in doubt. Don't spread alarmist talk."
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