After several months of deadlock and uncertainty for farmers over glyphosate, a European Commission Appeal Committee received 18 votes in favour of its continued use from Member States and nine against, with one abstention.UK scientists have advised it meets our high standards, both for health and the environment, while the European Food Safety Authority, the European Chemicals Agency Committee for Risk Assessment and the Joint WHO/FAO Meeting on Pesticides Residues have concluded that glyphosate is not likely to cause harm to people. The Government therefore supported the continuing approval of glyphosate as it gives UK farmers the certainty they need.

image expired

A complete ban would have meant a competitive disadvantage for European farmers compared to other countries for example South America who are still allowed to use it.

The EU's Health and Food Safety commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis tweeted: "Today’s vote shows that when we all want to, we are able to share and accept our collective responsibility in decision making."

The European Commission, which tabled the extension, said in a statement: "The proposal voted today enjoys the broadest possible support by the Member States while ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment in line with EU legislation. The Commission will not adopt the decision before the current authorization expires on 15 December..."

According to EU circles, Germany was among the countries that voted in favor of the extension, after having abstained in the previous round of voting.

The controversial weed killer has been under the spotlight in the EU since June 2016, when its previous 15-year license expired and an 18-month extension was granted.The licence extension has been the source of much controversy with EU states divided on whether the chemical is safe for use after the WHO’s cancer agency concluded it probably causes cancer. 

The compromise was “disappointing” European farm unions, Copa and Cogeca said.

Secretary-general Pekka Pesonen said it was “worrying” that glyphosate had been re-authorised for the shorter period after European scientists had deemed it safe.

“It should have been re-authorised for 15 years after it was given a positive assessment by both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA),” he said.

Welcoming the decision Guy Smith, NFU Vice President, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the farmers across the country who have lobbied their MEPs and invited them out on to farm to see first-hand the benefits glyphosate brings, and those who have made the case for glyphosate’s reauthorisation on social media. I am convinced their efforts have helped us reach this positive outcome.

“It is good news that farmers and growers will be able to continue using glyphosate for another five years. However, the fact remains that there is absolutely no regulatory reason why it should not have been reauthorised for 15 years, as was originally proposed.

“Today’s decision will be welcomed by farmers who have watched with growing concern as what should have been a straightforward decision has become increasingly political. The NFU has repeatedly said that decisions like this must be based on science and evidence. This clearly hasn’t happened in this case.

NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick commented: “Glyphosate is vital to Scottish farmers who use it to control weeds, manage harvests, and reduce grain drying costs. It has been an unnecessarily protracted process, but finally the uncertainty for our members is over and they can start planning for next year, factoring the use of glyphosate into their cropping and harvesting plans.”

“Off the back of such a difficult harvest and challenging planting conditions for so many Scottish farmers, the thought of not having such a useful and environmentally-beneficial product would have been daunting.”

Senior MEP Anthea McIntyre has welcomed a last minute reprieve for the much-used weedkiller glyphosate after it was belatedly granted a fresh licence for continued use across the European Union.

Miss McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, said: "The scaremongering and indecision over this product had left farmers and growers fearing they were staring over a cliff edge, so this will be greeted with enormous relief."

Miss McIntyre, member of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee, said: "It should never have taken this long to renew the licence and it should have been renewed for a full 15 years but the last minute reprieve and the licence for five years is welcome. 

"Many farmers are making a big effort to build up the levels of organic matter in soils by using ground cover crops and “no-till” farming methods, backed up by application of glyphosate. This gives us carbon sequestration, protection from soil erosion and avoidance of water evaporation.

"A de facto ban on glyphosate would have been a shocking and unscientific backward step.

"Farmers would have had to fall back on mechanical weed control. That would mean 25 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a significant impact on farm bird life - including skylarks, partridge, lapwing. 

"For a zero Improvement in public health and safety, we would have been worsening food security, soil quality, biodiversity and climate change."

Others have taken an alternative view to the decision.

Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, immediately commented:

“This is a toxic decision. The Commission are ignoring huge opposition from civil society; the almost one and a half million EU citizens who have signed a petition against glyphosate and the European Parliament who recently voted for a five-year phase out.

“This again confirms the profound influence agrichemical corporates have over our public institutions and policymakers. The European Commission have cracked under the intimidating pressure of Monsanto and others.

 “It is time to weed out the poison from the Commission and its Agencies and root out corporate lobbyists who are working against the interests of public health and environmental protection.” 

In a statement from Leo de Montaignac, CEO Weedingtech, a British company which has developed a green alternative said:

“I am disappointed and we had hoped that more would be done to encourage the removal of chemicals being used in parks, schools and public places. Real concerns have been raised about the harmfulness of the chemical and its impact on fragile ecosystems, and given the progress that has been made in developing organic alternatives, there’s never been a better opportunity to use them in public spaces. Businesses, organic farms, parks and councils from Central Park and the City of Munich to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have now adopted Foamstream for use in municipal areas.

“We hope that with solutions like this available for those who are unable to use herbicide, or want a greener product, we can help reduce reliance on chemicals and make the world a more sustainable place.”

They say that as the alternative market continues to mature, Weedingtech could soon become one of the world’s most disruptive agricultural start-ups.