EU agency sees no major reason to block glyphosate
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[July 06, 2023]
By Philip Blenkinsop
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) said on
Thursday it had not identified "critical areas of concern" to prevent
renewed approval in the European Union for glyphosate, the active
ingredient in Bayer's Roundup weed killer.
EU approval for the chemical that has been widely used by farmers for
decades is set to expire at the end of the year and the EFSA conclusion
is a key part of the process of deciding whether to renew it.
Glyphosate has been a focus of controversy since the World Health
Organization's cancer agency concluded in 2015 that it was probably
carcinogenic to humans. Bayer has said decades of studies have shown
that glyphosate is safe for human use.
The European Commission will determine whether to propose renewing
approval for glyphosate based on the EFSA conclusion and a report from a
group of four EU countries. EU members will subsequently vote on the
Commission proposal.
Bayer said it welcomed the EFSA's conclusion and that it laid the basis
for successful EU re-approval of glyphosate.
The German group acquired Roundup as part of its $63 billion purchase of
U.S. agrochemical company Monsanto in 2018 and has since spent billions
of dollars to settle a series of U.S. lawsuits claiming it caused
cancer.
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Bayer unit Monsanto Co's Roundup is
shown for sale in Encinitas, California, U.S., June 26, 2017.
REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
The EFSA said it had identified data
gaps meaning it could not fully assess consumer dietary risk, one of
the impurities in glyphosate and risks to aquatic plants.
However, the agency said that, even with missing residue trials, its
experts had concluded there would not be a concern for consumers.
The EFSA also said 12 of the 23 proposed uses of glyphosate posed a
high long-term risk to mammals.
The last time glyphosate renewal was up for debate, Europe wrestled
for two years determining whether to authorise it.
The Glyphosate Renewal Group, a group of companies including Bayer
Agriculture, submitted an application for renewed approval in the EU
in 2019.
The process was to have been completed last year, but the volume of
information and public input forced a delay.
(Reporting by Philip BlenkinsopEditing by Mark Potter)
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