Dutch parliament urges cabinet to vote against glyphosate re-approval

A motion opposing the European Commission from potentially re-authorising glyphosate has received majority support in the Dutch parliament, with MPs urging Agriculture Minister Piet Adema (CU/EPP) to vote against the measure at next month’s EU Agriculture Council.

The Party for the Animals (PvdD/EU Left) and GroenLinks (GL/Greens) submitted the motion.

“Glyphosate is a substance that is harmful to our biodiversity, to our drinking water, it has high risks for neurological diseases […], and the WHO says it is probably also carcinogenic,” PvdD lawmaker Leonie Vestering stated during a parliamentary debate, adding that the motion presents “a very good opportunity to put an end […] to glyphosate”.

The looming re-registration of glyphosate – the most widely used herbicide in crop protection – has long been opposed by health and environmental campaigners, who point to its potential carcinogenicity and adverse effects on wild plants and animals.

In July, the EU food safety authority EFSA stated that it found “no critical areas of concern” regarding glyphosate in its long-awaited verdict.

Later that month, a leaked draft report insinuated that the EU Commission was contemplating a re-approval as early as September.

Outgoing Agriculture Minister Piet Adema (CU/EPP) stated that the cabinet had not yet agreed on how to vote on the matter. However, he underlined the importance of the EFSA’s ruling.

“EFSA and CTGB are institutes that we hold in high esteem, which come to decisions on the authorisation of substances based on a lot of scientific research,” he stated, while also adding that the cabinet had previously motivated farmers to revert to ploughing to minimise the use of glyphosate.

Campaigners had previously criticised the EFSA for often relying on industry-commissioned research when making conclusions.

(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)

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