Glyphosate gets a new 7-year authorization until 2023 in EU

On April 13th, European Parliament agreed to a new 7-year authorization until 2023 for glyphosate, instead of 15-year re-authorization originally requested, while its use should be limited to professionals only. The approval is said in the resolution, passed by 374 votes to 225, with 102 abstentions, noted “concerns about the carcinogenicity and endocrine disruptive properties of the herbicide glyphosate, used in many farm and garden applications.”

The resolution calls for no approval of glyphosate for many uses now considered acceptable, including:

non-professional uses;
in or close to public parks, playgrounds and gardens;
where integrated pest management systems are sufficient for necessary weed control.
demands strict limits on ‘pre-harvest’ applications on crops, with a strong recital calling such uses ”unacceptable”

Pre-harvest applications refers to the practice of spraying crops up to two weeks before harvest to ‘dessicate’ the plants and make havesting easier. Pre-harvest application of glyphosate is a clear route for human exposure to glyphosate via the harvested crop. Currently glyphosate formulations are licenced for a wide range of crops including wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape (canola), linseed, field beans and peas.

The resolution further calls for:

A new draft in order to better address the sustainable use of herbicides containing glyphosate
An independent review of overall toxicity of glyphosate;
A call on the Commission and EFSA to immediately disclose all scientific evidence for the positive classification of glyphosate, given the overriding public interest in disclosure;
A call on the Commission to test and monitor glyphosate residues in foods and drinks produced in the Union as well as in imported produce;
Strong criticism of the Commission for accepting an incomplete dossier with regard to endocrine disruption;
Strong criticism of the problem of resistances of weed created by glyphosate, and the toxic spiral by agro-biotech companies adding further resistances to plants.

Next, national experts sitting in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Phytopharmaceuticals Section) will vote to adopt or reject the Commission proposal by qualified majority in May. If there is no such majority, it will be up to the European Commission to decide.

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