Farmer concerned about the EU's stand on use of glyphosate

Mr Moar and his wife Chris farm 500 hectares on Emdale in the Pilton Valley.

Their cropping rotation is spread over 400ha and includes sorghum, corn, mungbeans, soybeans and carrots in summer.

Barley and onions are grown in winter.

The balance of their country is used for cattle grazing. 

Mr Moar said he gradually started using glyphosate about 30 years ago, initially buying a five litre bottle to spray out the noxious Johnson Grass.

He now buys it in 1000 litre shuttles with a concentration of 450 base strength and it usually last him 12 months.  

“It certainly has a place on our farm as there is no way we could convert to all no-till farming and will always have a mix with till farming,” Mr Moar said. 

Mr Moar said he uses glyphosate on paddocks that have a thick regrowth of summer weeds as well as the cultivation with self-sown seeds from a previous crop.

“We only use it when we are about to plant and apply it three days beforehand depending on what is being planted and the withholding period,” he said.  

The glyphosate controls the narrow leaf weeds, but is not so effective on broadleaf varieties, he said.

Mr Moar said he also grows 25ha of oats for cattle pasture, and he doesn’t apply the chemical before planting as he always re-ploughs the country before sowing. 

“However we do use it to spot spray, and certainly use it for weeds that appear on the sides of the roads,” he said.

“If this ban takes effect in the EU it might not affect us in the short term, but may further down the track.”