Vietnam Shuts Border on Glyphosate, Perdue Cries Foul

(HANOI, VIETNAM) The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) earlier this week banned imports of glyphosate. The decision comes as two California juries have awarded monetary compensations for their claims against glyphosate products. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue expressed his disappointment in a move that will have devastating impacts on global agricultural production. “As I’ve often said, if we’re going to feed ten billion people by 2050, farmers worldwide need all the tools and technologies at our disposal.” In the past, USDA has shared scientific studies with its Vietnamese counterparts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other internationally recognized regulatory bodies concluding that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans. Perdue has charged that Vietnam is sidestepping its obligation to notify the World Trade Organization of their regulatory change.