The producers of Roundup should have placed more warnings on their product.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That was the simple message from the managing director of LHD Lawyers, Matthew Berenger, in his address to about 30 people in Port Macquarie on Monday evening.
Mr Berenger was in the city as part of a "road trip" discussing the pending class action in the Federal Court against Monsanto Australia Pty Ltd.
The legal action has arisen following scientific studies evidencing a link between exposure to Roundup, the most commonly used herbicide in the world, and the development of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
"Monsanto should think how their product was to be used and part of the answer, surely, is to have warning labels (on the product)," Mr Berenger said.
"We think there needed to be a greater level of information on this product.
"People need to have the choice as to whether to use this product or not."
Mr Berenger said Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma was, at one point, known as the farmers cancer.
He said farmers were proportionally probably more likely to be susceptible to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which has been linked to exposure to Roundup.
He said the farming community used Roundup far more regularly, in larger doses and in higher concentrations.
"But we have demonstrated that people living in Sydney, who also used this product, have also developed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma," he added.
But we have demonstrated that people living in Sydney, who also used this product, have also developed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
- Matthew Berenger
Mr Berenger told the information session that Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup and, since 2015, has been categorised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 2a carcinogen, meaning the chemical 'probably causes cancer' in humans.
It is alleged that Monsanto mislead consumers by suggesting that Glyphosate was safe and did not pose a health risk to humans who followed the company's product safety directions.
He said it is also alleged that Monsanto breached consumer product safety guarantee provisions in the Australian Consumer Law.
"This road trip is designed to provide information to people and to help them understand what this case is about, to ask questions and to join, if they want," he said.
"Roundup is such a utilised product in the community."
Roundup has been available to purchase in Australia since 1976 and is used for both domestic and agricultural purposes.
In a landmark US court case in 2019, a judge awarded a Californian couple $2.9 billion in damages after finding Roundup caused their cancer.
The damages were later reduced to $124 million.
A number of councils across Australia have reconsidered using Roundup as part of their weed management program.
Mr Berenger said the case is expected to run for four to six weeks and is listed to start in early 2021.
There are about 120 litigants with a further "50 people" considering their position.
Monsanto Australia Pty Ltd was contacted for comment.
Also making news:
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE.