Monsanto’s controversial weed killer, glyphosate is used by many agricultural companies in Germany regularly. Alternatives exist, but these are not for farmers and consumers to the zero tariff.
Only a few kilometres to the West of Berlin Dirk Peters is rich. He is the managing Director of the Agro-Farm of Nauen in Brandenburg. The large-scale agricultural operation is managed, among other things, 2500 hectares of cultivation area for wheat, barley, rye and oats.
Furthermore, Maize and sugar beet are grown. As a landmark of the operation of a large biogas plant, which generates electricity, heat and biomethane applies.
If you approach the Agro-Farm, you see fields as far as the eye can see. And, as in most other Establishments of this kind, it is considered here to keep the weeds out of the Fields as far as possible. The reason is as simple as it is clear – where a weed grows, diminishes the crop, because the crops of important nutrients.
Glyphosate as part of the overall strategy
Dirk Peters makes no secret of the fact that his company is the Monsanto (Bayer) glyphosate use product Roundup, depending on the needs and situation in order to stabilize the crop.
“The use of glyphosate, a farming strategy is based on,” says Peters, compared to the DW. “It is a total herbicide that everything is Green, that could come to the crop later in the way, kill them.”
The chief of the Agro-Farm Nauen, Dirk Peters, makes it clear that there are at present, glyphosate is no simple Alternatives
“We use beet glyphosate, in particular, on the approximately 100 hectares of cultivation area for sugar,” explains the managing Director. “We’re not greening our land in the autumn, so that you are broke. In the spring, we bring glyphosate to the field for the sugar beets is possible to prepare.”
In purely legal terms, the Agro-Farm Nauen is on the safe side, has allowed Brussels to a majority decision of the EU member States until 2017, the use of glyphosate for a further five years.
Responsible Use
But, of course, Peters is familiar with the growing criticism from environmentalists and consumer groups that are quick to Hand with the Thesis that German farmers could easily manage without glyphosate.
“Us is accused of again and again, that we tilt the stuff in bulk on the field, but that’s total bullshit,” says Peters. “Glyphosate does not cost little money, but not the only reason why our farmers to go sparingly and responsibly. Certainly, there will be always black sheep, but among the farmers in the area, nothing Negative has occurred to me since to my ears.”
Peters stresses that glyphosate is used on him, never without the need and mentioned that it has always had to be given again years, where only little of the herbicide or no herbicide be sprayed. “We no longer had the resources for years to Desiccation.” [Desiccation, the hosing down of the culture plant stocks for the purpose of maturation acceleration – editor’s note. d. Red.].
Sugar beet and weed can’t really live together in peaceful coexistence. Agro-Farm Nauen ensures that the crop will win in the end
Equivalent Alternatives?
Critics of the use of glyphosate in Brandenburg will not be tired, to call for a mechanical weed removal. To the honesty of the debate, however, on the disadvantages of such an approach to take.
“It is true that the mechanical Removal of weeds with the tractor and the plow is an alternative farming strategy,” says Peters. “But that would significantly consume more energy and CO2 balance sheet in the amount due to greater diesel consumption – in the end, food would be more expensive. And not to forget: the increased use of the plow would not do our fields really well, and the already existing wind erosion exacerbate problems.”
Nevertheless, the Brussels deadline in a couple of years ago from running, and then what?
“I’m pretty sure that the industry already has something in the drawer,” says Peters. “We farmers are indeed somewhere a bit chemists, and biologists. Perhaps we would be able to give us something to mix of different active ingredients to glyphosate.”
The head of the Agro-Farm Nauen has followed the court processes in the United States, in which applicants high compensation has been granted in the assumption that Monsanto’s Roundup had a complicity in the disease of the plaintiff. That’s right, it’s not thoughtful?
“With only one study is known which comes to the conclusion that glyphosate can cause cancer,” emphasizes Peters. “And a lot of other studies have come to a contrary result – that says so much, is it? I can cases, my doubts as to whether the members of a Jury’s mind with the necessary material for a fair judgment.”
Worldwide, the use of Roundup has increased in the last years (2017: 850,000 tons). In Germany, the consumption has for years been relatively constant (approximately 5000 tons), but remains by far the most commonly used herbicide in agriculture because of the unbeatable efficiency of this weed by means of.
Agriculture is not the only glyphosate consumer
Not only on the field
But not only the agriculture shows interest in glyphosate. Deutsche Bahn is one of the major customers and uses the active ingredient, in order to keep their 35,000 kilometers of track bed free of weeds – a Must, as the company says, to ensure the stability of the track system.
Sure, you could weed burn on the track bed also low. You but the additional work and cost in such a method, not to mention the unwanted, higher CO2 emissions that would arise as a result.
And since the households would still be. In Germany, there are gardens of approximately 17 million gardens, separate small. Around the year 2000, according to Figures from the consumer protection Ministry were used in 73 percent of such gardens, herbicides and pesticides. However, it is not known how many of the proud garden owner on glyphosate (Roundup and products seized with the same active substance) back. Is not banned yet, as long as glyphosate is not used on sealed surfaces.