Connect with us

Agriculture

#Glyphosate: European Parliament to compromise over plant protection

SHARE:

Published

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

glyphosate agriculture pesticidesA clear majority of the European Parliament voted in favour of a compromise on the controversial plant protection product glyphosate. MEPs dismissed the initial European Commission proposal calling for a renewal of another 15 years without substantial conditions.

Glyphosate-based herbicides are widely used in agriculture, forests, public areas and private gardens. The use of this substance is so extensive that it is now detected in food, drinks and in the human body (including babies and young children). New sensitive laboratory methods revealed recently that we are much more exposed to glyphosate than previously anticipated.

Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe), Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL), Slow Food and Greenpeace, all groups connected with the Greens, were among the most vocal opponents of the proposals.

In a note they asked to repeal the motion because:

  • there are serious concerns about potential health impacts from glyphosate, based on scientifically rigorous and transparent examination,
  • the EU process for evaluating the risks posed by glyphosate has had serious weaknesses, revealed by the contradictions between EFSA and the world’s top agency on cancer (IARC),
  • people and the environment are massively exposed to glyphosate-based herbicides in agriculture, public areas, forests and private gardens, so the consequences of misjudging the harm by relying on a flawed EU assessment EFSA are severe,
  • European agriculture can do better without glyphosate because it harms soil fertility and plant health over the long term; alternatives exist and have been used with success,
  • EFSA opinions cannot solely determine EU risk management choices – the institutions must uphold the EU Treaty and ensure the high level of protection of human health and the environment, based on the precautionary principle.

However also the EPP was skeptical of the proposal. "We are in favour of a temporarily limited renewal, but above all, we want much stricter conditions than those foreseen by the Commission. In my opinion, it is absurd that in many European countries, glyphosate is still used in order to optimise the date of harvesting or in order to kill the cultivated plant just before harvest, making the use of harvesting machines easier. In some countries, this has already been prohibited for a couple of years and this should also be the case in Europe", said Peter Liese MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in the Environment Committee.

In addition, MEPs want to prohibit or at least limit the use of glyphosate in the private sector and on public grounds, as well as to take more co-formulants than the co-formulant POE-Tallowamine, whose ban is already planned by the Commission, off the market.

"I am sure that the Parliament's vote will have a concrete impact. The representatives of the Member States could not agree on a position and the Commission does not want to take a decision without the political support of the other two Institutions. The Commission has to strongly improve its original proposal and we are quite confident that the Member States' agreement will be very close to the European Parliament's position. This is a balanced compromise which takes into account the unresolved scientific situation and scientific uncertainty and the fact that there are no alternatives to glyphosate", declared Angélique Delahaye MEP, EPP Group Shadow Rapporteur.

Advertisement

Share this article:

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

Trending