NFU President in Strasbourg to fight for glyphosate re-authorisation

NFU President Meurig Raymond is travelling to Strasbourg today to discuss the importance of glyphosate re-authorisation with Members of the European Parliament ahead of a crucial vote this Wednesday.

MEPs will vote on whether the European Parliament will call on the European Commission to halt the re-authorisation of glyphosate and do further analysis into the health and safety risks of Europe’s most commonly used herbicide.

Mr Raymond will take the concerns of thousands of NFU members direct to UK MEPs from all different political parties as well as meeting with Irish, Italian and German MEPs to urge them to vote against the resolution.

Mr Raymond said: "This is a massive issue for all our members which is why we have been contacting MEPs in huge numbers – the possibility of not re-authorising glyphosate presents all farmers with huge problems.

"Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in Europe - not just by farmers, but by gardeners, local authorities and public utilities alike.

"It allows UK farmers to control weeds in a way that benefits the environment – protecting soil structure and reducing greenhouse gases.

"I am frustrated with the way the European Parliament is handling this issue. This is not about political point scoring; we need to put science ahead of politics.

"We cannot make progress if policy in Europe is determined in this political fashion. We must be led by science."

Loss of glyphosate likely to see decline in production

NFU Vice President Guy Smith said: "Glyphosate has long been used on farm as a broad-spectrum herbicide to control pernicious weeds before planting.

"This practice allows the farmer to avoid more expensive cultivation techniques such as ploughing.

"This is proven to be good for climate change mitigation by reducing fossil fuel usage in tractors and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions.

"Furthermore, these minimum tillage establishment practices have additional environmental benefits and have been shown to have positive effects on biodiversity and decrease soil erosion.

"ADAS put the estimated value of the use of glyphosate in the UK arable sector at an estimated €633million a year.

"It said the loss of glyphosate would likely see a decline of production of winter wheat and winter barley by 12 per cent and oilseed rape by 10 per cent.

"Loss of availability in the livestock and dairy sectors would result in an inability to tackle invasive and poisonous species such as ragwort in grassland."