2014 articles

Deformed piglets from Roundup-contaminated feed shown on Danish TV

Danish television has for the first time broadcast a programme showing the deformed piglets of the pig farmer Ib Pedersen: the number of deformities correlate with the amount of glyphosate residue in the feed.

[Concerns] finally taken seriously

TV2Oj, broadcast 15 April 2014

English translation of the Danish transcript courtesy of Ib Pedersen

Video in Danish: http://www.tv2oj.dk/arkiv/2014/04/15?video_id=46247&autoplay=1

A farmer from Hvidsten has for many years fought to prove that Genetically Modified (GM) pig feed, which contains traces of Roundup, is dangerous for animals and humans. He has found that piglets are born with deformities when fed with GM feed. Up until now people have considered him to be slightly fanatical, but now researchers have at last begun to take him seriously.

A café in Aarhus on a week night: Ib Borup Pedersen is giving a lecture on a subject he is passionate about and has been for many years – Gene Modified Organisms (GMO) and Mammal Health.

[Ib:] “I think it is something people should be aware of.”

Ib Borup Pedersen is a farmer in Hvidsten. He says when he fed his pigs with GM soya they become ill. The soya, which contains traces of Glyphosate, is the active ingredient in Roundup. He felt that he was being ignored all the time, but now that is beginning to change.

[Ib:] “I am glad that Aarhus University has begun to think, that what I have found out, is not as crazy, as people first thought.”

Because of a question from the Minister of Food, researchers at Aarhus University have compiled a summary of all the knowledge available on glyphosate.

[Martin Tang Sørensen, Aarhus University] “What we discovered was that glyphosate has some properties, which have possibly been overlooked and these affect bacteria and other micro-organisms. For me, it came as quite a shock that glyphosate had these properties.”

This is what it is all about: GM soya. It is not something that is grown in this country, but something we use enormous amounts of.

[Sørensen:] "We use an amount that equates to growing soya on an area the size of Zealand for Danish livestock, the cows, the pigs and the hens."

And it is something that can affect animals.

[Sørensen:] “Yes, ultimately it is not as healthy as it could be.”

Back in Hvidsten:

[Ib:] “Here are my deformed piglets that I have from the pig house. Typically the deformities are cranial and spinal. This is one that was born with a hole in the head between the eyes.”

According to Ib Borup Pedersen these piglets are deformed, because these piglets have eaten soya that contained glyphosate.

[Ib:] “We have sent some of them to Germany to be examined and they have actually been found to contain glyphosate in their internal organs, in their muscles, liver, kidneys and intestines.”

And he is also convinced that, we, humans can be harmed, if we eat meat that contains glyphosate.

“Yes,” he says in confirmation to this statement.

But you cannot be sure that it caused by glyphosate.

“I can be fairly certain. I have studied over 32,000 piglets.”

These are some pictures/videos Ib Borup Pedersen has taken and we showed these images of deformed piglets to Martin Tang Sørensen (Senior Researcher at Aarhus University). Martin Tang Sørensen has no knowledge of any research that shows that glyphosate is responsible for the birth of deformed piglets, but he thinks there should be more research carried out to find out how it affects animals.

“It must be taken seriously and the matter requires further investigation.”

All in all, he is amazed that there is not more research than there is.

Does it worry you?

“Yes, definitely. Definitely, yes.”

Ib Borup Pedersen has battled for many years and it is something he will continue to do.

No GM soya is grown in Denmark, but it is imported in large quantities.