(ANSA) – BRUSSELS, June 15 – The herbicide glyphosate is neither carcinogenic, nor mutagenic, nor toxic to reproduction.
These are the conclusions of the first report on the safety of the substance in the context of EU license renewal. Given the controversy in recent years, the report was prepared by the authorities of four countries (France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary) rather than one in accordance with the practice of the European Union. The document states that glyphosate is eligible for re-licensing in Europe, but recommends further analyzes of its impact on biodiversity.
The initial opinion summary, which totaled 11,000 pages, was published today. The final stage of the assessment returns to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECA), with the analyzes and recommendations of the four national authorities delivered today. The two agencies will publish the documents on their websites and launch an online consultation in September. After collecting the comments, Echa and Efsa will draw up their expected conclusions respectively in May and June 2022. Thus, the European Commission will have to prepare a legislative proposal based on scientific advice, to present to member states. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to ban glyphosate within three years, but in 2021 then offered incentives to farmers to halve its use by 2022. In 2019, the Austrian parliament approved the ban, then retracted it within a few months . In Germany, parliament is debating the government’s proposal to ban from 2024, due to the damage the substance could cause to the environment. (handle).
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