The EU member states yesterday failed to reach a qualified majority in order to renew the authorization to market in Europe the controversial herbicide glyphosate, the most sold in the world. The disagreement was expressed in the standing committee on plants, animals, food and feed of the European Commission. The abstentions of Germany, France, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Malta, together with the no of Austria, Croatia and Luxembourg, prevented the plan from going ahead. Spain has positioned itself in favor of the extension.
The Commission maintains a proposal to renew the use of glyphosate for ten years, but at yesterday's meeting the necessary majority was not achieved, neither to adopt nor to reject its plan. The qualified majority to validate the text is 15 States out of 27 that represent at least 65% of the population, a bar that was not crossed.
The proposal will have to be reformulated and voted on in November in an appeals committee. The decision on the renewal of glyphosate must be taken by December 14, as the current permits expire on December 15, 2023. If a qualified majority is not reached, it will be up to the Commission to decide on its own .
Glyphosate has been listed as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an organization dependent on the WHO. However, this decision does not entail any prohibition on its use, because it is a matter that corresponds to the state and community authorities.
The European Commission has the endorsement of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), which sees no evidence of toxicity in this product, as it "did not identify critical areas of concern" in the use of glyphosate.
"It is irresponsible to renew the authorization of the use of glyphosate", said Bas Eickhout, vice-president of the Parliament's environment committee (The Greens). “This would give big agribusiness a blank check to make billions selling a pesticide about which there are still huge gaps in knowledge regarding the effects on our health, and at the same time it poses huge risks to the European biodiversity".
In the last decade, glyphosate, which is used in products such as the herbicide Roundup, has been at the center of a heated scientific debate about whether it causes cancer and its possible harmful effect on the environment. The French Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, expressed his rejection of the proposal as it has been formulated. Brussels had adjusted the text alluding to a reduction in the maximum dose of product application per hectare, but this was not enough, as the proposal remains much less demanding than what France claims , as indicated by the Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu. The tweaks were only "cosmetic" changes, lamented MEP Pascal Canfin, from Macron's parliamentary group.
The French Government states that in view of the uncertainties pointed out by EFSA "it is necessary to restrict the use [of this product] wherever possible and to put in place the means for this", especially since there is a legislative project underway European that sets targets in order to restrict phytosanitary products.
Gergely Simon, spokesperson for the oenagé PAN Europe, pointed out: "This important signal responds to the concerns of the majority of Europeans about the impact of pesticides on health and the environment".
