Greens/EFA call for glyphosate-free future

The Greens/EFA group has commissioned a new study on alternatives to glyphosate. The study has been produced by PAN Europe and will be launched at today's conference, How to really feed the world.

The publication comes one day ahead of a vote in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) on an objection to the renewal of glyphosate’s EU licence. The resolution calls on the Commission not to extend the licence and to take measures to phase out use of the substance in the EU by 15 December 2020.

Bas Eickhout, who signed the objection on behalf of Greens/EFA, comments:

"We need to put health and our environment first. With so many serious questions about glyphosate’s safety still unanswered, it would be absolutely reckless for the European Commission to extend its licence. The Greens/EFA group will call for the establishment of a committee of inquiry to investigate the poor handling of the glyphosate decision-making process by EFSA, in order to get clarity on how we can improve the agency's tools to ensure transparent and thorough assessments."

Commenting on the findings of the study, Greens/EFA food safety spokesperson Bart Staes says:

"The large agrochemical industry’s arguments are crumbling. We know that there are viable alternatives to toxic herbicides like glyphosate that are both safer for human and animal health and more sustainable. With the negotiations on the CAP reform due to start soon, now is the perfect time for European policy makers to put in place the right support instruments to help farmers and societies make the rapid transition towards genuinely sustainable farming."

Next steps

• If the vote in ENVI passes, there will then be a plenary vote on the objection at the next session in Strasbourg (October 23-26).
• The Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed is due to make a decision on 25 October, but is not expected to have a qualified majority in favour.
• Failure to come to an agreement leaves the final decision with the Commission, but to proceed without support of the Member States would be highly contentious – President Juncker has already said he won't approve without it.

More info on the study

• The study is available here
• To discuss the report with PAN Europe, please contact Angeliki Lysimachou: angeliki@pan-europe.info / 0032 2 318 62 55; 0032 496 39 29 30
• For full details on today's conference and live-streaming, click here.