Germany is set to abstain in an EU Council vote next week, as the country’s farming and environment ministers have disagreed over the correct course of action to take on controversial herbicide glyphosate.
The two ministries are run by different political parties, which are at odds over the glyphosate issue.
Glyphosate is used in many herbicides, despite a dispute between EU and U.N. agencies over whether it causes cancer.
Experts from the EU's 28 member states will hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels to discuss a draft proposal to extend by nine years approval of the herbicide.
Last month, European politicians advised that glyphosate should only be approved for another seven years, rather than the 15 proposed by the EU executive, and should not be used by the general public.
The European Commission said the new draft takes into account the opposition and maintains the proposal to ban some products because of the substances they combine with glyphosate, which could add to risks.
It said the banned "list of co-formulants" includes POE-tallowamine from glyphosate-containing pesticides.
