”Roundup is not a carcinogen,” says Monsanto CEO

Apr 01, 2016

Part 2 of Hugh Grant’s interview with Here & Now

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

On Thursday, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant joined Here & Now in Boston for a two-part interview to discuss various issues in the ag industry.

In Part 1, Grant discussed GMOs, strategies to make agriculture more sustainable and consumer concerns with host Jeremy Hobson.

Part 2 sees Grant touch on a variety of topics including Monsanto and Roundup’s places in the global landscape.

When it comes to those who believe Roundup is a cancer-causing product, Grant’s answer was direct.

“Roundup is not a carcinogen,” he said during the interview.

Grant said the product has been tested and reviewed nearly each of its 40-year existence. According to Grant, Europe’s review of the product was “glowing,” Canada is currently conducting its review and the United States will conduct its own as well.

“I’ve absolutely no concerns about the safety of the product,” he said.

Despite being the head of a company that makes chemical products, Grant says the future of agriculture will depend on a cooperative effort from organic and conventional farmers, especially as infrastructure continues to develop.

“As urbanization increases, we’re going to need all kinds of agriculture,” he said. “It’s framed somehow as big versus little, or organic verses conventional. We’re going to need everybody at the table.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.