Researchers in France recently found that a
type of natural compound originating from moss can kill other plants and hence can
be used for weeding. Furthermore, it is less harmful compared to using glyphosate as herbicide.
A few days ago, researchers from CNRS (The
French National Center for Scientific Research), Sorbonne University and other
institutions reported in the latest issue of the magazine Chemistry-A
European Journal that they chose a type of weed which was unprofitable to
agricultural production as a sample and embedded the compound known as radulanin
A into the sample germ. After the cultivation of the substrate, they found that
the weed quickly turned yellow and died. This proves that the active dose of
the compound has a comparable effect as glyphosate.
The study also shows that even though the
potential toxicity of radulanin A toward human health as well as the natural
environment is yet to be tested, the effect of radulanin A on the natural
environment is far weaker than that of current synthetic herbicides. Researchers
have now filed a patent on this research result and will continue to study the
effect of the new herbicide substitute and its potential applications.
It is estimated that about 9,000 tons of glyphosate
are used as herbicide each year in France. This type of herbicide is suspected
by several studies to cause cancer and harm the environment. In the end of
2017, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the government to cease the use
of glyphosate and find a substitute within three years.
The WHO classified glyphosate as
probably carcinogenic back in 2015
Glyphosate was developed by American
agrochemical magnate Monsanto and was introduced by Bayer, a German company in 2018.
The court of Lyon in France decided to cancel the national marketing
authorization on Roundup Pro 360, a glyphosate-based herbicide. The
authorization was issued by ANSES (English: National Social Security
Administration) in 2017.
As a commonly used herbicide, the safety of
it has been questioned since 2015. In March 2015, the World Health
Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified
glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic in humans". The decision made by
the court of Lyon was also based on the study that glyphosate is likely to
cause cancer. It also said that the approval of the herbicide product did not follow
the rule based on the Preventive Principles of the French Constitutional
Charter for the Environment, which is to ban any products that are potentially
harmful. CRIIGEN hopes that the latest decision made by the court can help ban
the use of all glyphosate-based products in France.
France decided to prohibit the use of
glyphosate despite the extension by the European Commission
France is one of the first countries in
European Union to oppose using glyphosate as herbicide. In November 2017, with
the fierce controversy over the use of glyphosate among EU member states, European
Commission decided to extend the use of glyphosate in Europe for five years. President
Emmanuel Macron in France ordered the government to prohibit using it within
three years right after the decision took effect. In January 2019, France imposed
a ban on purchasing glyphosate, saying that amateur gardeners are not allowed
to purchase glyphosate as herbicide.
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