No local ban on Roundup weed killer despite cancer-causing claim
Published:Monday | June 15, 2015 | 5:49 PM
The agriculture ministry says it will continue to support use of the weed killer Roundup although France recently banned the chemical because of potential cancer-causing ingredients.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Donovan Stanberry, says the ministry acts based on pronouncements from the Pesticides Authority of Jamaica.
He says the authority has said it is maintaining its approval for the usage of the chemical at this time.
Stanberry says as a result, the ministry will continue to recommend the chemical to farmers.
Permanent Secretary in the Agriculture Ministry, Donovan Stanberry
Over the weekend, France banned over-the-counter sale of the very popular weed killer because the UN says the chemical’s ingredient glyphosate is probably carcinogenic.
Roundup’s manufacturer, Monsanto, has disputed the UN finding saying relevant and scientific data were excluded from the review.