To Local, Regional and National Government Bodies and Multilateral Agencies

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

We now make an emergency complaint regarding the importation, use, and contamination of glyphosate in food production. This substance is highly harmful to health and the environment. It has caused a reduction in commercialization possibilities for small producers, drastically affecting our income and economic sustainability. 

Small Producers’ Symbol Global (SPP Global) is an intercontinental network of organic small producers’ organizations. We fight for recognition of our high-quality products and work towards a dignified life and a healthy planet for all. 

At SPP, we work in partnership with committed companies and consumers around the world. An independent certification system supports us. We are hundreds of thousands of families of small producers from 25 countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. We work every day to bring to the consumer’s table a healthy product, always respecting sustainability and environmental conservation. 

As small producers, we denounce glyphosate’s highly toxic effects and declare ourselves categorically against the production, commercialization, and application of this chemical product, which is present in thousands of commercially used pesticides around the world. 

Studies and testimonies about deformations, cancer, and even death that this product has caused in humans and wildlife in different parts of the world, are countless. It is also known to cause prolonged sterility in affected natural areas. 

In March 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassified glyphosate. It is now included in the category of agrochemicals, “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Kogenivas, 2018). 

In areas of Latin America such as Brazil or Argentina, specific cases of glyphosate poisoning have been reported, because this herbicide is sprayed with light aircraft over agricultural communities (CONACYT, 2019). 

In different periods and countries, such as Colombia, the aerial spraying of glyphosate has also been a standard part of the official technology to combat and destroy the production of illicit crops such as marijuana, coca, and poppy, affecting large geographical areas (FAO 2002). 

The World Health Organization states that glyphosate is not only a probable carcinogen but also has a high environmental cost: it damages the soil. It can leach into groundwater, affecting the quality of drinking water and aquatic life (WHO, 2011). 

Using glyphosate has eliminated vegetation necessary for insects. Therefore, their functions in the ecosystems, pest control, pollination, etc., are severely compromised (Greenpeace, 2011). 

The use of glyphosate has even been pointed out as one of the leading causes of mass bee deaths in different production regions, among others, by a study of the University of Texas published in the scientific journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2018. 

When applied near watercourses Glyphosate can be found in surface waters because of the drift and run-off effect. Climatic conditions and soil type define glyphosate mobility (Arregui et al., 2012). Nevertheless, there is a real risk of contaminating nearby areas where glyphosate is not applied. 

In the USA alone, there are tens of thousands of state and federal lawsuits against MONSANTO/BAYER company regarding the carcinogenic effect of glyphosate-based product ROUNDUP. Some of the respective lawsuits have already been resolved in favor of plaintiffs by the U.S. judicial system.

Glyphosate use harms farmers who apply it and consumers who feed on those products, but also those farmers who are close to these application fields.

Cross-contamination affects small organic farmers around the world. Even though we are certified organic producers, and we meticulously respect not applying products that are harmful to health. 

Cross-contamination has already led to the retention and rejection of a considerable number of product batches, such as organic coffee and others, causing enormous damage to the economy of producers. Physical controls, i.e., laboratory tests, concerning glyphosate in Europe have increased in rigidity, thus directly affecting small producers by drastically increasing production and marketing costs. 

Certified organic smallholder organizations are doing their best, through their Internal Control Systems, to exclude the possibility of glyphosate application by any of their member producers. 

However, our agricultural and beekeeping producers can’t avoid cross-contamination caused by third parties, through wind, dust, soil, and groundwater. 

We notice that in most of our production areas in the world, glyphosate, represented by the different commercial brands, is available even in any store, at accessible prices. Its easy access makes any combat action of its use, by corrupt practices and by cross-contamination, a high risk. 

In this way, producers who care for both the environment and human health are the most affected. We run the risk not only of having our products rejected on the market but also of losing our organic certification and with its considerable investments in these production methods.  

We, therefore, make an active and urgent appeal to national and international governments. Follow more than 15 countries that have banned or restricted this carcinogenic herbicide (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, among others). Ban in the short term, the import, distribution, and application of glyphosate and its commercial formulations.

Sincerely.

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