European Appeals Committee gathers 'no qualified majority' vote with regard to glyphosate relicensing

Glyphosate is an active substance widely used in herbicides
Glyphosate is an active substance widely used in herbicides

The European Appeals Committee has gathered a ‘no qualified majority’ vote with regard to the relicensing of glyphosate.

The decision whether to extend the license for the herbicide now goes to the European Commission.

The European Crop Protection Association has described the 'no qualified majority' opinion as "yet another blow for science-based decision making in the EU."

"ECPA shares the sentiment voiced by Commissioner Andriukaitis when he said decisions should remain based on science, not on political convenience.

"With this decision they cast doubt on that system, and create fear and confusion amongst Europe’s consumers - the very people the system is designed to protect.

"We hope the Commission, given that it was originally happy to propose a 15-year extension, will now proceed to adopt the decision on its own.

"Failure to re-approve glyphosate would have significant negative repercussions for the competitiveness of European agriculture, the environment, and the ability of farmers to produce safe and affordable food."

'We welcome the caution', says Soil Association

On the other side of the debate, Emma Hockridge, head of policy of farming and land use at the Soil Association said: "We hope that the Commission will take note of the growing body of scientific evidence regarding the impact of glyphosate use when coming to its conclusions regarding the re-licensing of glyphosate.

"Many farmers have expressed support for a ban on pre-harvest use, as such use has led directly to glyphosate being found in our food.

"Until recently, glyphosate was considered the world’s safest pesticide and was expected to sail through the re-authorisation process and gain approval for use for a further 15 years.

"We welcome the caution that European Member States have taken over re-authorising glyphosate in light of new scientific evidence, including emerging evidence that glyphosate may harm soil life."