Glyphosate approval proposal will not be turned upside down, EU Commissioner says

Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides defended the key points of the EU executive’s proposal to re-approve the contentious herbicide glyphosate, signalling that the expected tweaks to the text at this point are likely to be relatively minor.

Speaking during a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday (4 October), Kyriakides justified the European Commission’s recent proposal to renew the approval of glyphosate – the most widely used herbicide in the EU, and the subject of some controversy – for ten years.

“Glyphosate is the most studied pesticide in the world,” she said. While she acknowledged that many “are disappointed with the outcome of this assessment process,” she stressed the advice of “independent agencies” involved in the process must be respected “if we are to have robust, independent, and evidence-based systems”.

The Commission’s proposal came after the EU’s Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) concluded that the use of glyphosate in plant protection poses no “critical concerns”, although it identified a number of data gaps that mean definitive conclusions are not possible on certain aspects, such as the risk to mammals.

While the EU executive is currently tweaking its proposal to draw more EU countries on its side, Kyriakides’ comments before the Parliament come as an indication that the Commission is unlikely to make major changes to its proposal.

However, Kyriakides made clear that the Commission will double down on the main cornerstones of the proposal, including the renewal period of ten years, and the decision to re-approve the substance despite the existing data gaps.

“Renewal approval can be granted for a maximum of 15 years. At the same time, scientific research into glyphosate is ongoing, with new information published regularly,” Kyriakides explained, adding that, on this basis, the Commission concluded that a ten-year renewal period “is appropriate”.

At the same time, she stressed that this does not mean the decision is set in stone for these ten years. “I want to assure you that this does not mean we will stand idly should new evidence emerge,” she said.

The kind of data gaps identified by EFSA appear “in practically all EFSA conclusions for active substances”, she stressed – in other words: they are a normal occurrence.

“Data gaps, therefore, do not mean that the approval cannot be renewed,” according to the Commissioner.

Commission to reconsider its glyphosate renewal proposal, sources say

The European Commission is reconsidering its proposal to renew the contentious herbicide glyphosate in a bid to win the green light from member states, according to sources familiar with the issue, with suggestions the EU executive may even present a new proposal.

Passing the buck to member states

The way in which the EU executive aims to address these remaining data gaps is by encouraging member states to introduce certain restrictions on the use of glyphosate-based products once the substance is re-approved by the EU.

This approach takes “into account the fact that the responsibility for authorising plant protection products lies firmly with the member states, in keeping with the subsidiarity principle”, according to Kyriakides.

However, not everyone is happy with this approach, and several lawmakers raised concerns about distortions within the EU market during the debate.

“This lax approach will lead to a competition between European farmers – that is something we can guarantee,” French liberal lawmaker Jérémy Decerle said.

“Let us not have a ban, but let us not have a use without harmonised conditions,” he demanded.

Decerle’s criticism echoes that of the French government, which has also called for more harmonisation on the European level, among other criticisms of the proposal.

EU Commission proposes to re-approve glyphosate for 10 years

The European Commission has proposed to renew the approval of glyphosate – a common and contentious herbicide – for a period of 10 years, with a number of restrictions.

Greens push for Parliament vote

Meanwhile, parliamentarians from the Greens, the Left, and part of the social democrats reiterated their criticism of glyphosate re-approval altogether, pointing to potential risks associated with the substance.

“It is bad for farmers, but it is also bad for biodiversity,” socialist MEP Mohammed Chahim said, while the Left’s Anja Hazekampt raised concerns about the impact of glyphosate on human health, arguing that evidence suggests the substance increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

The Greens, for their part, announced they are requesting a Parliament vote on the matter. “We Greens/EFA demand a clear No from the European Parliament against the nature killer glyphosate,” German Green MEP Jutta Paulus said in a statement.

However, a Parliament vote would not be binding and have no formal impact on the renewal process. Instead, the ball is in the court of EU countries, who are set to vote on the Commission’s proposal during a meeting of the Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed on 13 October.

[Edited by Gerardo Fortuna/Nathalie Weatherald]

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