Member States fail to reach qualified majority to renew or refuse glyphosate approval

Following an earlier vote in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed on 13 October, in which member states also failed to reach the majority needed to renew or reject the proposal, the European Commission has now decided to propose that the proposal should be rejected. Member States did not reach the required qualified majority to renew or reject the approval of glyphosate during a vote at the Appeal Committee.

In line with EU legislation and in the absence of the required majority in either direction, the Commission is now obliged to adopt a decision before 15 December 2023 when the current approval period expires.  The Commission – based on comprehensive safety assessments carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), together with EU Member States – will now proceed with the renewal of the approval of glyphosate for a period of 10 years, subject to certain new conditions and restrictions. These restrictions include a prohibition of pre-harvest use as a desiccant and the need for certain measures to protect non-target organisms.

Member States are responsible for national authorisation of plant protection products (PPPs) containing glyphosate and continue to be able to restrict their use at national and regional level if they consider this necessary based on the outcome of risk assessments, particularly factoring in the need to protect biodiversity.

Agroecology: 14 EU-funded projects that are helping to shape the future of agriculture

More information: European Commission