For the relief of farmers, the controversial herbicide glyphosate will remain on the market in Europe for another 18 months. The weed killer widely used facing a deadline of June 30 for re-approval of its security without which it could not be sold, but the decision has been stuck in political deadlock. Thus, the European Commission intervened to extend the registration of security until December 2017. The decision was mentioned by the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety vytenis andriukaitis at a press conference today and can be officially announced tomorrow, according to a Commission source.
safety of glyphosate has been hotly debated since the International Agency for Research on Cancer has declared a "probable human carcinogen" in March 2015. regulators had previously declared safe when glyphosate is used, and the European food safety Authority was on track to renew its approval. (the divergent opinions have caused confusion, as specified here.) opponents of herbicide campaigned for the commission to do not renew the contract of license. Glyphosate manufacturers and the agricultural lobby have opposed fiercely, and member states could not reach a majority decision on how to proceed.
in his commentary, Andriukaitis said the commission has granted an extension of 18 months to have the European chemicals Agency (ECHA) to complete its review of glyphosate. ECHA is responsible for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals, and during deliberations the commission in May, some member states wanted to know the opinion of ECHA on the carcinogenicity of glyphosate before voting on his re-approval.
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