(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, JUN 15 - The herbicide glyphosate is not carcinogenic, it is not mutagenic, nor toxic for reproduction.
These are the conclusions of the first report on the safety of the substance in the context of the renewal of the EU authorization. Given the controversies of recent years, the report was prepared by the authorities of four countries (France, Holland, Sweden and Hungary) instead of one as per EU practice. The document indicates that glyphosate is eligible for re-authorization in Europe, but recommends further analysis of its impact on biodiversity.
The summary of the preliminary opinion, which overall is 11,000 pages long, was published today. The final phase of the evaluation is up to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECA), to which the analyzes and recommendations of the four national authorities have been delivered today. The two agencies will post documents on their websites and launch an online consultation in September. Collected the comments, Echa and Efsa will draw up their conclusions, expected respectively in May and June 2022. The European Commission will therefore have to prepare a legislative proposal on the basis of scientific advice, to be presented to the member countries. In 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to ban glyphosate within three years,but in 2021 it then introduced incentives to farmers to halve its use by 2022. In 2019 the Austrian Parliament approved a ban, and then renounced it within a few months. In Germany, Parliament is discussing the government's proposal for a ban from 2024, due to the damage that the substance could cause to the environment. (HANDLE).
