A vote on renewing sales approval for the herbicide glyphosate, used in the weedkiller Roundup
The European Union has again delayed a vote on renewing sales approval for the herbicide glyphosate, used in the weedkiller Roundup, amid a transatlantic row over whether it may cause cancer.
Experts from the EU’s 28 nations were due to vote on May 19 on a proposal to extend the licensing of the herbicide, which is widely used by gardeners and farmers. The EU Executive had already postponed a vote on reapproval in March and shortened the proposed license from 15 years to nine. In April, the European Parliament recommended that glyphosate should only be approved for another seven years, and should not be used by the general public.
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Experts from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have said that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a risk to humans exposed to it through food. This finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority, but runs counter to a 2015 study by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which said that glyphosate can ‘probably’ cause cancer in humans. Environmental groups have called for the EU to err on the side of caution.
Find out more at http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-eu-glyphosate-idUKKCN0YA1M1
And if you want to avoid weedkillers altogether, check out Garden Organic’s advice on weed management at http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/weed-management
