Glyphosate is expected to continue to be used in the European Union for another decade. After the publication in July of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which considered that the level of risk did not justify a ban, the European Commission is proposing to Member States to renew the authorization of the controversial herbicide.
The European executive’s proposal will be examined on Friday by representatives of the Twenty-Seven, who will then have to validate it by a qualified majority of member states during a meeting on October 13. The current authorization of glyphosate in the EU, renewed in 2017 for five years, expired on December 15, 2022, but was extended by one year pending a scientific evaluation on the herbicide.
In its report, EFSA said it had not identified any “areas of critical concern” in humans, animals and the environment that could prevent its authorization. The Commission’s proposal authorizes the use of glyphosate until December 15, 2033, i.e. for a period twice as long as the previous authorization, but short of the 15-year period initially planned.
An authorization subject to conditions
However, the conditions of use of the herbicide must be accompanied by “risk mitigation measures” concerning the surroundings of the sprayed areas, in particular by the establishment of “buffer strips” of 5 to 10 meters and the use of equipment to drastically reduce “spray drift”.
Likewise, Brussels sets limit levels for certain “impurities” from glyphosate. The EFSA had also noted “a high long-term risk in mammals” for half of the proposed uses of glyphosate and recognized that the lack of data prevented any definitive analysis.
Glyphosate, the active substance in several herbicides – including the famous Monsanto Roundup, widely used around the world – was classified in 2015 as a “probable carcinogen” for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. World Health Organization.