Yet again the EU talks over the future of glyphosate have ended in disarray after the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) failed to achieve the qualified majority necessary for the proposal to be adopted.

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The NFU said "Once again,UK farming unions are disappointed by the failure of EU to reach agreement on #glyphosate. Farmers need policymakers to respect science & evidence #glyphosateisvital

The European Commission must take decisive action to reauthorise the use of glyphosate to stop the politicisation of the process"

Guy Smith, NFU Vice President, said: “Once again we are left in a situation where no decision has been made on the reauthorisation of glyphosate – one of the safest plant protection products on the market which secures so much environmental benefit in terms of better soils and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

“Allowing Member States to continue playing politics over this decision despite overwhelming science and evidence showing glyphosate’s safety does nothing but undermine the credibility of the EU’s regulatory bodies and the entire regulatory process.

“We ask the Commission to stand by its own science and regulatory procedure, and re-authorise glyphosate for the maximum period possible. It cannot stand by and allow the issue to be politicised any longer.”

Molly Scott Cato MEP, a member of the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, has expressed "extreme disappointment" over the announcement by the European Commission that it has again failed to reach agreement about the future of glyphosate in Europe.

In response to the indecision Michael Gove said:

"First, we (Defra) want not just to protect but to enhance the environment; and second, we want our decisions to be informed at all times by rigorous scientific evidence.

On neonicotinoids there is a growing weight of scientific evidence that they are harmful to bees and other pollinators, and that’s why today we’ve announced we support further restrictions.

But the scientific picture on glyphosate is very different. UK and EU scientists have clearly advised that it does not pose a risk to human health or the environment and that’s why the UK government supports its continuing approval.

We are very disappointed that yet again no decision has been reached leaving our farmers still waiting for certainty.

The European Commission can now take their proposal to the Appeal Committee which could enable them to adopt the decision".

NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said:

“The failure to secure a majority vote had created further uncertainty for members,

“Off the back of such a difficult harvest for so many Scottish farmers, the thought of not having such a useful product to help is a very daunting thought indeed. To drive home the point, I would ask all members and stakeholder affected to email or tweet Messrs Junker, Andriukaitis and Hogan to explain just how important glyphosate is to their business, and remember to use the #Glyphosateisvital tag.”

Before today's ( 9th Nov )  vote the British Crop Protection Association said, banning Glyphosate "without a phase-out period that the European Commission is proposing, wheat production would fall by 20%".

France’s ‘non’ stance to the proposed five-year period, had left the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed meeting without hope - they support a three year renewal.

The current authorisation runs out on 15th December and the renewal of the licence has faced opposition from some member states, including France . The Commission appear to be deadlocked on the issue and continue to postpone the vote. Last month MEPs voted for a five-year phase-out and full ban by 2022 of the controversial chemical which is linked to a host of health and environmental concerns.

14 countries voted to renew glyphosate, 9 voted against.There were 5 abstentions including Germany, possibly due to Angela Merkel's continuing coalition discussions with the Green Party.The UK continues to support a 10 year renewal.

Also today ( 9th Nov)  which may have added to the discord, a large long-term study on the use of the big-selling weedkiller glyphosate by agricultural workers in the United States has found "no firm link"between exposure to the pesticide and cancer, scientists said.

Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI), the study found there was “no association between glyphosate”, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s popular herbicide RoundUp, “and any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall, including non-Hogkin Lymphoma (NHL) and its subtypes.”

It said there was “some evidence of increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) among the highest exposed group”, but added “this association was not statistically significant” and would require more research to be confirmed.

The proposal for a five year extension of the license is now likely to be referred to an EU appeals committee on November 26-27, but insiders believe it is unlikely to take a different view from representatives in Brussels this week in spite of the industry's desperate appeals for clarity.