2018-10-16
As the Greens voted to support the establishment of a Senate inquiry into the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Greens Agriculture spokesperson Senator Janet Rice reiterated the Greens’ call for the Coalition government to establish an independent and transparent review into the safety of glyphosate.
“Today the Greens voted in support of the inquiry into the independence of the APVMA, particularly to examine how Barnaby Joyce’s forced relocation of the authority has affected its ability to undertake chemical reviews,” Senator Rice said.
“This inquiry will touch on the authority’s ability to assess chemicals like glyphosate, it will not properly consider glyphosate’s safety.
“Following the questions raised in the recent Four Corners episode about the chemical’s safety and the previous findings of the World Health Organisation, the Coalition government must establish an independent, transparent and science-based inquiry into glyphosate to give Australians certainty about its safety.
“The company Bayer must also immediately release all their internal science so we can see whether their public assurances withstand the light of day.”