The glyphosate debate.
The EU has recently approved the use of glyphosate for another decade. Bárbara Pinho examines the controversial pesticide’s presence in British farming and considers the possibility of a ban in the UK.
Bárbara Pinho
Chemistry World
17 March 2025
Glyphosate began as a failed experiment. In 1950, Swiss chemist Henri Martin first synthesised it in an attempt to develop new pharmaceuticals, but the compound showed little promise. Fast forward 75 years, and glyphosate has become one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. More of it has been applied than any other agricultural chemical, with billions of kilograms sprayed since 1974 to grow almost everything, from wheat to oranges.
Now glyphosate is at the centre of an intense debate over its impact on human health and the environment. On one side, activists and NGOs advocate for stricter regulations and, ultimately, a complete ban. On the other, most farmers argue that growing food without it would be impossible. ‘I think the biggest single disease that the arable farming industry has worldwide is dependence on herbicides, and glyphosate is the biggest,’ says Tom Allen-Stevens, an arable farmer from Oxfordshire, UK. In addition to running his own farm, Allen-Stevens has a background in agricultural journalism and has covered the glyphosate controversy in depth. While he uses glyphosate himself and notes that many of his colleagues do as well, he also expresses concern about the country’s heavy reliance on the pesticide.
Farmers use glyphosate for several reasons: it is inexpensive compared to some other herbicides, easy to apply and works relatively quickly. Introduced to the market in 1974 by Monsanto (which was acquired by Bayer in 2016), glyphosate inhibits the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP synthase). This enzyme is essential in the shikimic acid pathway for synthesizing aromatic amino acids in plants, fungi and some bacteria. Since this pathway is absent in animals, including humans, glyphosate was initially considered non-toxic to them. ‘We have always been told that glyphosate is one of the safest pesticides to use, and also one of the safest pesticides for the environment,’ Allen-Stevens adds.
However, new studies and assessments have begun to suggest otherwise. Hundreds of reports, based on a wide range of samples and subjects—including urine, mice and cancer cells—are painting an increasingly complex picture of how glyphosate impacts mammals, insects, and humans.
Glyphosate and human health
Any biology textbook states it clearly: the cell is the basic unit of life. It is no surprise, then, that scientists focus on this fundamental level to assess how glyphosate might harm humans. A 2005 paper appears to be among the earliest investigations into glyphosate’s direct effects on human cells. In it, scientists reported that glyphosate exposure reduced cell viability and induced DNA damage in normal human fibroblasts and human fibrosarcoma cells.
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Link to | The glyphosate debate.
Happily, nonchemical alternatives for farm-scale weed control have been developed.
Link to | Soil Disinfestation with Steam in Vegetable Crops.