Luxembourg to ban glyphosate in late 2020, a first in Europe

"A decisive step". Luxembourg will become the first country in the European Union to ban glyphosate. The herbicide will be banned at the end of 2020 with a first stage on February 1, announced on Thursday the Luxembourg Ministry of Agriculture.

By December 31, 2020, plant protection products based on glyphosate will be banned from the soil of the Grand Duchy, in accordance with the government's agreement dating from 2018.

It is "a decisive step in a sustainable approach that meets the ambitions of using modern plant protection products that respect the environment," said Luxembourg Minister of Agriculture Romain Schneider in a press release.

Abandoned by farms

The ban takes place in three phases: a withdrawal of the marketing authorization on February 1, a deadline for the sale of stocks until June 30, then a grace period for the use of these products fixed at December 31, 2020.

In fact, almost 60% of the country's farms have already given up on glyphosate, according to the Luxembourg government.

At the end of 2019, it set up a compensation system for a thousand farms active in this prosperous little country of 600,000 inhabitants.

Compensation deemed insufficient

The basic premiums are 30 euros / hectare for agricultural land and 50 euros / hectare for vineyard land, amounts that the main agricultural union of the country, the Luxembourg Central Peasant Organization, deems insufficient.

"We will ask for compensation for the additional costs that will result from the non-use of glyphosate," reacted to AFP Josiane Willems, director of the union.

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Luxembourg hopes to "produce significant leverage throughout the European Union, knowing that other countries such as Austria have taken similar steps", points out Romain Schneider.

A total release in 2023 for France

The license to use glyphosate in the European Union runs until December 15, 2022 and its fate is debated in many countries.

France has planned "to get out of most uses by January 1, 2021, and all uses by January 1, 2023", according to the government. A timetable which was however deemed difficult to maintain by a recent parliamentary report.