European Commission Delays Glyphosate Decision

As the 30 June deadline loomed, the European Commission made a decision to accept the Efsa finding and reapprove glyphosate – although for a shorter period than the 15 years originally proposed. The widely used weed killer faced a 30 June deadline for reapproval of its safety-without which it could not be sold-but the decision has been stuck in political gridlock. “We will adopt an extension for glyphosate of 18 months”, Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said at a Tuesday news conference.

The license is to be extended until December 2017 but after that time, the EU Council and Commission could still decide to ban glyphosate pending the findings of a report from the European Agency for Chemical Products on the health impacts of the product.

After months of lobbying and member state indecision, the Commission replaced a previous proposal to renew the license for glyphosate for up to 15 years with a suggested 12 to 18 month extension pending further scientific study.

“There are clear concerns about the health risks with glyphosate, both as regards it being a carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor”, Staes continued. “The process of phasing-out glyphosate and other toxic herbicides and pesticides from agriculture must begin now, and this means reorienting the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy towards a more sustainable agricultural model and a Common Food Policy”.

Many EU governments are in favour of a licence renewal, but large member states such as Germany. are undecided.

To the relief of farmers, the controversial herbicide glyphosate will remain on the market in Europe for another 18 months. “It would add significantly to the cost of food production with a significant reduction in environmentally friendly conservation tillage and the consequential loss of organic soil carbon and thus further greenhouse gas emissions”.

“The government must now see that glyphosate’s days are numbered and produce a phase-out plan for this and other damaging chemicals”. Glyphosate is an ingredient in Roundup, a popular weedkiller across the globe.

The Commission acted Wednesday after the 28-nation bloc’s member countries failed to agree on extending the authorization for glyphosate, which was due to expire at the end of June.