Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said she will ask the Environmental Protection Agency to consider adding Roundup to a list of hazardous substances it is reassessing.

She made the comments after a landmark US Superior Court award of NZ$440 million to a man who alleged that heavy contact with the herbicide cause his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - agricultural company Monsanto said it will appeal.

"The Environmental Protection Agency has the technical expertise to make these decisions so it's their responsibility rather than a political issue for Parliament," Sage said.

ROB ARLOW/STUFF An example of the efficiency of the herbicide Roundup - sprayed last year on the grass at Ngati Toa Domain for a new sports surface.

"There needs to be an application for the EPA to reconsider the approach to glyphosate - like there was for 1080."

READ MORE:

* Golden Bay residents "livid" over glyphosate sprayed on beachfront and rec park during school holidays

* Children dance on weed-killer; Auckland Council says it's perfectly safe

* Cancer all-clear given to weedkiller glyphosate by New Zealand scientific review

* EPA official accused of helping Monsanto 'kill' cancer study surrounding Roundup

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup vegetation spray.

Sage said she did not use chemical sprays on her garden, which was mainly managed by her partner Richard because of her political commitments.

"We have an organic garden and there are other alternatives to spraying such as vinegar, salt or just hot water," Sage said.

"I will be asking the chief executive Dr Allan Freeth to consider adding Roundup to his reassessment list."

Dr Fiona Thomson-Carter, general manager of the EPA's hazardous substances group said she was aware of the court case in the US.

"The EPA has not been involved in the court case, and is not aware of any specific evidence which was used in court.

"There is no change to the science behind our current position, which is that products containing glyphosate remain safe to use when you follow the instructions on the products label," Thomson-Carter said.

In 2016 the EPA carried out a review of glysophate, noting several international studies including one from the International Agency for Research on Cancer which concluded that glyphosate should be classified as a carcinogenic substance, meaning it was "probably" carcinogenic to humans based on "limited evidence" from human data but "sufficient evidence" in animal-experiments.

Several contaminants and industrial processes have been linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma but the US court's jury decision is one of the first to come down firmly in favour of a complainant regarding glyphosate.

The issue generated heated debate in New Zealand last year, and in February 2018 the EPA's chief scientist, Dr Jacqueline Rowarth, resigned after senior government officials expressed several concerns to the EPA.

Dr Rowarth had written an article discussing the economic benefit of the herbicide versus its risk, which was low in her assessment of the research. She also angered environmentalists by describing irrigation as a great benefit.

According to the Science Media Centre, the EU recently voted to renew the licence for glyphosate for another five years after 18 months of acrimonious debate among member states.

Meanwhile, the US Superior Court case was brought by Dewayne Johnson, 46, who said Monsanto's Roundup left him dying of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer .

Johnson used Roundup and a similar product, Ranger Pro, as a pest control manager at a San Francisco Bay Area school district. He sprayed large quantities from a 50-gallon tank attached to a truck, and during gusty winds, the product would cover his face.

Once, when a hose broke, the weed killer soaked his entire body.

Johnson read the label and even contacted the company after developing a rash but was never warned it could cause cancer, his lawyer told the court.

He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014.

Monsanto has denied a link between the active ingredient in Roundup - glyphosate - and cancer, saying hundreds of studies have established that glyphosate is safe

Monsanto spokesman Scott Partridge said the company was sympathetic but scientific studies and two government agencies concluded that Roundup did not cause cancer, and had a 40-year history as safe to use.