The only thing roundup will affect is the fish in your farm pond if you spray it too much around the edges. It becomes inert as soon as it touches soil and dries.
Animals eating plants sprayed with roundup (glyphosate) will not have any problems unless you spray it down their throat and they drown.
The direct toxicity of pure glyphosate to mammals and birds is low.[45][unreliable source?] The acute oral toxicity of Roundup is > 5,000 mg/kg in the rat.[46] It showed no toxic effects when fed to animals for 2 years, and only produced rare cases of reproductive effects when fed in extremely large doses to rodents and dogs. It has not demonstrated any increase in cancer rates in animal studies and is poorly absorbed in the digestive tract. Glyphosate has no significant potential to accumulate in animal tissue.[47][48]
An in vitro study indicates that glyphosate formulations could harm earthworms[49] and beneficial insects.[50] However, the reported effect of glyphosate on earthworms has been criticized.[40] The results conflict with results from field studies where no effects were noted for the number of nematodes, mites, or springtails after treatment with Roundup at 2 kilograms active ingredient per hectare.[51] Glyphosate can negatively affect nitrogen-fixing bacteria,[52] and increase the susceptibility of plants to disease.[53] A 2005 study concluded that certain amphibians may be at risk from glyphosate use.[54]
Certain surfactants used in some glyphosate formulations have higher toxicity to fish and invertebrates resulting in some formulations of glyphosate not being registered for use in aquatic applications.[55] Monsanto produces glyphosate products with alternative surfactants that are specifically formulated for aquatic use, for example "Biactive" and "AquaMaster".[56] According to Monsanto, "Conservation groups have chosen glyphosate formulations because of their effectiveness against most weeds as glyphosate has very low toxicity to wildlife".[57] Glyphosate is used with five different salts but commercial formulations of it contain surfactants, which vary in nature and concentration. As a result, human poisoning with this herbicide is not with the active ingredient alone but with complex and variable mixtures. [44]
Glyphosate's effect on soil life may be limited because when glyphosate comes into contact with the soil, it rapidly binds to soil particles and is inactivated.[58][59] Unbound glyphosate is degraded by bacteria. Low activity because of binding to soil particles suggests that glyphosate's effects on soil flora are limited. Low glyphosate concentrations can be found in many creeks and rivers in U.S. and Europe.[citation needed]
The United States Environmental Protection Agency,[58] the EC Health and Consumer Protection Directorate, and the UN World Health Organization have all concluded that pure glyphosate is not carcinogenic. Opponents of glyphosate claim that Roundup has been found to cause genetic damage, citing Peluso et al.[60] The authors concluded that the damage was "not related to the active ingredient, but to another component of the herbicide mixture".
Mammal research indicates oral intake of 1% glyphosate induces changes in liver enzyme activities in pregnant rats and their fetuses.[61]
[edit] Aquatic effects
Fish and aquatic invertebrates are more sensitive to Roundup than terrestrial organisms.[40] Glyphosate is generally less persistent in water than in soil, with 12 to 60 day persistence observed in Canadian pond water, yet persistence of over a year have been observed in the sediments of ponds in Michigan and Oregon.[32]
The EU classifies Roundup as R51/53 Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.[62]
Roundup is not registered for aquatic uses[63] and studies of its effects on amphibians indicate it is toxic to them.[64] Other glyphosate formulations that are registered for aquatic use have been found to have negligible adverse effects on sensitive amphibians.[65]
