Controversial Monsanto Weed Killer Blamed for Decimation of Uruguayan Beekeeping

Beekeepers in Latin America are aghast that their livelihoods are being ruined by the contamination of local ecosystems with the controversial glyphosate herbicide produced by agrochemical giant Monsanto.

Beekeepers in Latin America are bearing the cost of Monsanto products which are a threat to the environment and public health.The herbicide glyphosate is the active ingredient in the Roundup weed-killer produced by agrochemical giant Monsanto. The company, which is awaiting approval from authorities in the EU and US for its merger with German chemical giant Bayer, was for many years the only licensed producer of the pesticide.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared glyphosate a “probable human carcinogen,” which led to calls from health professionals and campaigners for the substance to be banned. In France, the Ecology Ministry banned its use in nurseries and garden centers.

“In our country glyphosate is applied to more than 28 million hectares. Each year, the soil is sprayed with more than 320 million liters, which means that 13 million people are at risk of being affected, according to the Physicians Network of Sprayed Peoples (RMPF),” Argentina’s union of medical professionals, Fesprosa, stated in 2015 in a call for the substance to be banned.

However, application of the controversial chemical has only increased and it has had a knock-on effect on ecosystems across Latin America, Sputnik Mundo reports.

Uruguayan beekeepers say they are in fear for their livelihoods as a result of the use of glyphosate. It seems that their bees are collecting nectar from plants treated with glyphosate and producing honey that contains large amounts of the substance.