THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION has said it will allow the use of the controversial herbicide glyphosate for 10 years after EU states failed to reach an agreement on its renewal.
The herbicide is the active ingredient in over 750 products including the weedkiller Roundup and is extensively used in agriculture and farming crops.
The previous European Union authorisation expired in December 2022 but was extended by a year pending a scientific study of the herbicide.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in July said it had not found “any critical areas of concern” preventing glyphosate from being reauthorised, sparking a backlash from environmental groups.
The European Commission subsequently proposed its renewal but it failed to secure a majority in a vote of the 27 EU member states today.
The EU’s executive arm said in a statement that the absence of a required majority meant that it was “obliged” to make a decision before the current authorisation expires on 15 December.
The commission said that it “will now proceed with the renewal of the approval of glyphosate for a period of 10 years, subject to certain new conditions and restrictions”.
As noted above, Glyphosate is the active ingredient in over 750 products, including Roundup.
Its use is considered controversial, with this publication’s sister site Noteworthy documenting its widespread use by local councils, including in playgrounds and gyms.
Inspections by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine have also identified issues around its handling by retailers and wholesalers.
There has been much controversy over the potential adverse health effects of this commonly used herbicide, which is used to combat weeds and as pre-harvest treatment on some crops.
The debates intensified when the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “Group 2A – probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015.
The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) have classified glyphosate as causing serious eye damage and being toxic to aquatic life. It has stated that it is not justified to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen.
A study by scientists at the University of Galway in January suggested that one in four people in Ireland have low-level exposure to glyphosate.
It was carried out to understand better the risk posed to humans by chemicals such as pesticides. The study tested urine samples collected from 68 farm and non-farm families.
Includes reporting by Eoghan Dalton and © AFP 2023
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