The herbicide could be authorized until December 15, 2033 if the Twenty-Seven agree in a vote in mid-October. But this green light may be revised in the event of new assessments of the dangerousness of this product.
While the authorization of glyphosate will expire in mid-December, the European Commission has proposed to Member States to renew for ten years the authorization of this controversial herbicide in the EU, present in particular in a product like Roundup developed by the group Monsanto. This position, made public on its website, will be debated during a technical meeting on Friday, September 22, in Brussels, before being voted on. October 13.
>> The article to read to understand the debate on glyphosate
The current authorization of glyphosate in the European Union, renewed in 2017 for five years, expired on December 15, 2022. But it was extended by one year pending a scientific evaluation by the European Safety Authority of Food (EFSA). In a notice published in July 2023, the latter states not having identified “critical area of concern” in humans, animals and the environment likely to prevent the authorization of the herbicide.
The Commission therefore proposes to authorize glyphosate until December 15, 2033, i.e. for a period twice as long as the previous authorization, but short of the 15-year period initially planned. The green light may be revised at any time if new evaluations warrant it.
The European executive suggests some safeguards
Glyphosate, the active substance in several herbicides – including Monsanto’s Roundup, widely used around the world – was classified in 2015 as a “probable carcinogen” for humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Organization. of Health (WHO). In 2021, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) also estimated that scientific studies published on the subject confirmed a link between exposure to pesticides and six pathologies concerning the brain (Parkinson’s disease), the lungs (chronic bronchitis) or the prostate and the immune system, with risks of developmentpper cancers.
However, in order to limit health risks, the Commission recommends that certain safeguards be put in place. For example, the establishment of “buffer strips” of five to ten meters and equipment to reduce “spray drift”. Use for desiccation (spreading to dry a crop before harvest) is now prohibited. It also recommends that States pay attention to the other components present in glyphosate-based herbicides marketed in each country to limit the dangers linked to the “cocktail” effect of certain products.
France defends a restriction on essential uses
To validate its proposal, the European Commission must gather the vote of a “qualified majority” : this means that the states which vote in favor must represent at least 65% of the European population. If the various EU member countries have not yet explicitly revealed their position, it is unlikely that France will oppose it. Since Emmanuel Macron’s change of heart, who promised in 2017 to abandon glyphosate, the government has in fact defended limiting the majority of uses of weedkiller to only cases for which there is no viable alternative.
“Everything is converging towards a new approval but we are going to carry the idea that without banning it – because there is a need – we can still reduce it wherever possible.”
Marc Fesneau, Minister of Agriculturein “West France”
Germany could, however, vote against this extension, the agreement of the ruling coalition providing for the ban on glyphosate on German soil from 2024. Despite everything, if it seems “unlikely that the European Union will oppose the renewal of the authorization of the pesticide, it is possible that certain States will ask to review the duration of the authorization, or even its conditions”notes Nadine Lauverjat, general delegate of the NGO Générations futures, who is calling for a ban on the pesticide.
In France, restrictions were put in place after an ANSES opinion published in 2020 which aimed to determine the uses for which the herbicide could be replaced by non-chemical alternatives. This has led to the banning of several glyphosate products in cases where other options have been deemed viable. In addition to those who produce organic, “around a third of farmers voluntarily do without glyphosate”, estimates Xavier Reboud, research director at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRAE). To do this, they use different techniques: laying tarpaulins to prevent weeds from growing, mechanical weeding, etc. But these solutions are “more expensive, because they require more time and labor. In the absence of uniform regulation in all countries of the European Union, this is an economic disadvantage”concludes the researcher.