[Umbrian]

The news is full of the debate about glyphosate again after the ruling in a recent court case. I find it impossible these days to ascertain the truth in such matters when there is so much confusing and often contradictory ' information'  Today  for example I read that some farmers spray their fields prior to planting/seeding to prevent weed growth which is contrary to the information I have read regarding the way that glyphosate works i.e. that when sprayed on the leaves of plants it blocks the nutrients needed to maintain growth resulting in the death of the roots and therefore the plant. This without leaking into the soil and killing nearby plants. Although ' green' to a large degree I have found glyphosate useful in certain area such as a large gravel parking area at our old house and for painting onto the leaves of troublesome things such as bindweed. I have also recommended it to people seeking advice but always explaining how it works  and why it is useful in certain cases.  Now I am having to rethink....
It is obvious the large chemical companies have their own agendas but how far they are able to influence other bodies who have given 'verdicts' is a matter for conjecture. 
Help!

[Alisdair]

Good point, Carole. Anything you read about farmers spraying before planting "to prevent weed growth" is probably some journalist simply not understanding what actually happens. The spray is simply to kill weeds, even tiny very young ones, which of course eliminates those weeds themselves but also prevents them setting seed which could also compete with the crop. So the crop is sown or planted into a clean field. It's easy to see that someone could misunderstand, and think that the process was inhibiting subsequent weed growth. I wish glyphosate did do that, but it doesn't! We grow a lot of fruit and vegetables, for ourselves, friends, our weekend "fresh and free" roadside stand, and an autumn charity pumpkin sale that raises quite a lot of money. Though like you we're pretty "green" and virtually never use chemical pesticides etc, we'd be absolutely lost without glyphosate.

[Trevor Australis]

The debate rages in Australia too. With so much litigation that produces 'evidence' and 'counter evidence' the fake news is, indeed, very difficult to interpret for amateurs. In Australia the chemical must be registered for use by home gardeners and agriculturalist/ farmers. The registration is approved by a division of the Federal govt subject to review every 3 yrs. The review consists of reading peer-reviewed scientific documents by a panel of local scientists which should eliminate all the opinions expressed on FB and other websites while focussing on tested and testable evidence. So far the advice to govt has been that on balance glyphosate is safe for use IF THE DIRECTIONS ARE FOLLOWED. I will keep using it occasionally to control difficult, invasive weeds.