The European Commission wants to extend the approval of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate for another ten years. The proposal will now be discussed with the 27 EU members and presented to them for a vote on October 13th. A so-called qualified majority of 15 members, representing at least 65 percent of the EU population, is required to either support or block the proposal.
The approval of glyphosate in the EU runs until December 15th this year. In July, the European Food Safety Authority rated an extension as uncritical. With this assessment, the re-admission process entered its final phase. Bayer, the world’s largest supplier of seeds and plant protection products, welcomed the EU Commission’s proposal and demanded that the member states should now agree with “the scientific conclusions of the responsible authorities” and decide on an extension.
Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides worldwide and was developed by the US company Monsanto, which Bayer took over. The Leverkusen-based pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical company is doing good business with its Roundup weed killers containing glyphosate. However, since the Monsanto acquisition, Bayer has also been exposed to a wave of lawsuits because of the herbicide’s alleged carcinogenic effects, which has placed a heavy burden on the company.
Authorities worldwide, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Chemicals Agency, have classified glyphosate as not carcinogenic. The cancer research agency IARC alone rated the active ingredient as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015. Other companies also produce the broad-spectrum herbicide, which is effective against all green plants. The Pesticide Action Network Europe organization said there were “serious concerns” about glyphosate’s safety assessments and that surveys in six EU countries showed citizens did not support extending its approval. Environmental protection organizations had also expressed criticism in advance.