Allotments 4 All

If you let a weed seed - then you are weeding for at least 7 years! 7 years of Roundup ?

Don't some commercial potato growers use sulphuric acid to kill the potato leaves shortly before harvest?

We've all got vested interests, but when it's allowed to get to the point of blatant lying about major health hazards (remember how the tobacco companies were pouring money into denying that smoking causes cancer?) it's bound to leave a legacy of dire suspicion. It's not just the lying either; thalidomide was apparently harmless, until they discovered it wasn't.

I think that’s not an unreasonable position, but there’s a difference between “dire suspicion” and “healthy scepticism”.  Because we all on this forum grow our own fruit and veg, we all tend towards a celebration of good natural produce, and we shy away from heavily processed food.  And that also manifests in a desire not to waste precious resources, nor to pollute unnecessarily.  And that informs our decisions about what we buy and use.

The problem, it seems to me, is that it’s easy to transfer reasonable dislike or rejection of a product to unreasonable dislike of the person who makes it.  And that leaves an opening for those with a political agenda to inspire hatred of Monsanto, McDonalds, and Microsoft.

Although your two examples are good ones, I think we need to look at the context.

Tobacco was a traditional pleasure and had been so for hundreds of years.  I suppose, though, it was only in the last hundred years that cigarettes became fashionable and consumption soared, coupled with increasing longevity, that the dangers became apparent.  In the same era, research into the causes of illness revealed many other lurking dangers, from asbestos to cyclamates.

As a result, we now know perfectly well that many traditional ways of preserving food with smoke, sugar, and various salts are inimical to good health.  Do you suggest that meat canners and jam makers are engaged in a conspiracy of lies?  Should their products be banned?  Shall there be no more cakes and ale?

New drugs always carry a risk.  The recent Northwick Park incident illustrates that only too graphically.  But we strive to balance the clamour for speedy introduction of new “miracle” drugs against the need for long term testing.  And only a small proportion of drugs throw up unexpected reactions once they are established.

So back on topic, I shall continue to use glyphosate with confidence.  It’s well established, and there are no credible examples of it causing damage.  It’s been thoroughly tested, and even the research designed to discredit it can only offer damage to placental cells at > 0.1% concentration.  But I’m entirely happy if other people choose not to use it.  That’s their prerogative.  Just don’t pretend that there’s any scientific basis for their decision.

we really shouldn't be arguing about weedkillers,after all none of us are farmers. We use them because they save time and effort, and if we have any doubts about their safety we shouldn't use them full stop

is glyphosate absolutely safe? maybe not
is Monsanto to be trusted? well, from GM back to the hatchet job they tried to do on Rachel Carson over DDT, probably not
on the other hand, can we trust all the anti-Monsanto stuff? I'm not qualified to tell. I wouldn't know a Shikimic Acid Pathway from a hole in the ground, for instance. Wasn't it part of the Hippy Trail to India in the 60's?

Acyually Thalidomide, in it's optically pure form, is now used in the treatment of leprosy, among other things

I think the only time you need it is when you get a weed infested allotment.
I strimmed the weeds to a reasonable height, then I used Glyphosate, covered with weed supresant membrane and then dug and dug and dug some more.
I now have a plot that does not have weeds except those that blow over from the other plots ( I sit and watch them). I try not to let a weed get to more than 1/2" and just scrape or pull it out.
BTW I am retired and go to the allotment almost every day so that is easy for me.

Rosemary

Is Glyphosphate  safe, who can be sure? While there is an element of doubt I believe it better to err on the side of caution.
A better question might be "is Glyphosphate neccessary"? We can work our plots quite easily without resorting to chemical warfare if methods are efficient. Why do we have allotments? Is it to go out on a mission to kill everything around us? None of us grow our food to save money because the true cost of production outweighs the shop price of the goodies. A few hours a week at minimum wage will produce enough cash to buy all the veg but I think we all seek better quality.

At the end of the day, whether to spray or not is a judgement call that each individual has to make for themselves.