Glyphosate: a crucial vote from European Union states expected on the extension of the herbicide

The Twenty-Seven will vote on Friday October 13 on Brussels’ proposal to renew the authorization of glyphosate in the European Union (EU) for ten years, against a backdrop of differences concerning the fate of the controversial herbicide.

The European Commission proposed in September to renew its green light until December 2033, subject to conditions, after a report from a European regulator estimating that the level of risk did not justify banning the substance. This proposal has been discussed since Thursday within the framework of a technical committee bringing together representatives of the member states, who vote on Friday to approve it or not.

“Many member states have welcomed the proposal” and if some countries have “recommended specific additional restrictions”, this idea is not supported by “a large majority”, assured last week the Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides .

However, the differences displayed by Europeans could make it difficult to obtain the required qualified majority – i.e. 15 states out of 27, representing at least 65% of the European population. Austria announced its opposition to the renewal of the authorization and Luxembourg signaled at the end of September its intention to vote against after having already temporarily banned the marketing of glyphosate on its territory.

Belgium will abstain, due to differences in its government coalition, the Ministry of Agriculture reported to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Abstention also from the Netherlands, who judge that “a vote for or against would not do justice” to their “nuanced position”, according to outgoing Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema. Finally, as a result of the divisions in the ruling coalition in Berlin, “Germany will not accept an extension of the authorization,” a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Agriculture warned on Thursday.

Uncertainty about France’s attitude

Uncertainty remains over the attitude of France, the leading agricultural power in the EU. Deeming Brussels’ proposal unsatisfactory, Paris said it wanted to influence its terms. Thus, France is opposed to “any ban without a solution” for farmers, but advocates an approach according to which glyphosate is restricted only to uses for which there is no viable alternative option, an approach that it intends to “harmonize with the European level”, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Glyphosate, the active substance in several herbicides – including Monsanto’s Roundup, widely used around the world – was classified in 2015 as a “probable carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization ( WHO). Conclusions confirmed in 2021 in France by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).

Conversely, in July, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assured that it had not identified any “critical areas of concern” in humans, animals and the environment that could prevent the authorization of the herbicide. It only noted “a high long-term risk in mammals” for half of the proposed uses and recognized that a lack of data prevented any definitive analysis.

Final word from the Commission?

To take this into account, Brussels is proposing some safeguards, in particular with the “default” establishment of “buffer strips” of five to ten meters and equipment drastically reducing “spray drift”, while the use for desiccation (spreading to dry a crop before harvest) would be prohibited.

If the active substance is approved at EU level, each State remains responsible for authorizing products containing glyphosate, setting the rules for use according to crops, climatic conditions and geographical specificities. Brussels asks them to assess the potential effects on the environment and biodiversity, “co-formulants” (components of herbicides) and the exposure of consumers to “residues”, while ensuring the protection of groundwater or surface: States could thus restrict the use of glyphosate, but only within the framework of the criteria set by the EU.

The current authorization of glyphosate in the EU, renewed in 2017 for five years and then extended for another year, expires on December 15. If no qualified majority in favor of the text emerges on Friday, another vote will take place in November. If there is still not a sufficient majority to support the proposal, the Commission can then decide alone to extend the authorization – only a qualified majority of states opposed to the text can block it.