A European Citizens’ Initiative petition calling for an EU-wide ban on herbicide glyphosate was discussed on Monday (20 November) with the petitioners and the European Commission.
A European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entitled “Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides”, calls for a ban on the herbicide, a reform of the pesticide approval procedure and EU-wide mandatory reduction targets for pesticide use. It collected over 1 million signatures.
Due to the mass volume of signatories the ECI gathered, a debate was held in the European Parliament on Monday.
The debate saw ECI representative Mika Leandro arguing for a ban on glyphosate because an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) study from 2015 concluded glyphosate is a “probable human carcinogen”.
However, Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands said studies have shown glyphosate is safe.
"Those pushing for a ban on glyphosate claim to be protecting people and the environment. This is not the case; independent studies have shown the weed killer is safe and a return to mechanical weed control would release more greenhouse gases and damage soil quality," she said.
Stuart Agnew, MEP for the East of England said: “Where is the evidence of ill health? This material has been around for 40 years. Citizens have been exposed to this for that time. There haven’t been problems.
“People like myself, farmers and gardeners, their exposure is 1,000 times as great and yet they have not been queuing up at doctors’ surgeries saying they have got a problem. There is no evidence for a problem against human health.”
Mr Agnew said the ECI’s petition was to do with a “hatred for Monsanto”, the international agriculture and biotechnology corporation, rather than anti-glyphosate sentiment itself.
The European Parliament has rejected a ten-year renewal of glyphosate’s licence in October and proposed a full ban by 2022. EU member states will now vote on a five-year renewal on 27 November.
EU Member States now only just weeks left before the expiry of the current glyphosate license on December 15. The European Commission is struggling to gather the qualified majority needed to take a decision.
