U.S. criticizes Vietnam ban of glyphosate herbicide imports

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Thursday criticized Vietnam’s move to ban imports of glyphosate-based herbicides, saying the decision would have “devastating impacts on global agricultural production.” 

Vietnam’s government said in a statement that the toxic level of herbicides containing glyphosate had long been of concern, in the latest display of global worries over the product’s impact on human health. State media reports said the ban would take effect in June.

Glyphosate, the chemical contained in Bayer AG’s best-selling weed killer Roundup, is the target of thousands of lawsuits in the United States alleging exposure to it causes cancer.

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Tom Polansek, Khanh Vu