Brussels, 05/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - Given the pitch of the increasing polemic created by the possible reauthorisation of glyphosate in the EU, the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, has called on the industry in question to demonstrate its transparency in this connection.
The Commissioner would like to scrutinise the different risk assessments of this pesticide that has been classified as probably being carcinogenic by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), despite the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) stating that this was probably not the case.
The letter sent by Mr Andriukaitis on Monday 4 April to Dr Gameti, the Chairman of the Glyphosate Taskforce, calls on the industry to publish the entirety of their studies on glyphosate on its website (http://www.glyphosate.eu/safety ), which it has already provided to the EFSA. Its demand has been made in response to the concerns expressed by citizens and the European Parliament.
The Commissioner is aware that experts in the member states are divided. After having deferred their vote, they are now expected to give their view on the Commission proposal next May to authorise this controversial pesticide for a further fifteen years (until 2031).
Whilst asserting that he has "full confidence" in the seriousness of the industry's evaluation submitted to the EFSA, Vytenis Andriukaitis highlighted the concerns and doubts expressed by significant sections of civil society regarding the EFSA and the IARC's divergence of views on the carcinogenic nature of glyphosate. He added that as the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety "I cannot ignore such concerns and doubts, and it would be most helpful to clarify whether one of the reasons explaining such divergence is indeed that some studies were available to EFSA and not to IARC".
Three studies by the industry, as well as those that have guided the re-examination of glyphosate risks by the EFSA, have been kept confidential, which has not been appreciated at all by MEPs (EUROPE 11503).
Andriukaitis highlighted the fact that "the glyphosate authorisation process has drawn an extraordinary degree of public attention and concerns, particularly in the European Parliament, about the transparency of the European assessment process". Therefore, "the proactive publication by the Glyphosate Task force of the full studies including the underlying raw data would be beneficial for the society as a whole and would facilitate the ongoing discussions and the decision-making process" explained the Commissioner, who believes that this publication would help restore confidence in the EU's decision-making process.
Next month, the European Parliament will make its views known (during the plenary session on 11-14 April) regarding Environment Committee's draft objection. The committee would like MEPs to veto the project for renewing unrestricted glyphosate authorisation, as long as doubts persist about the risk of this much-used pesticide in Europe (EUROPE 11517). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)