Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, attending the meeting of the European Parliament agriculture committee on 13 November to present the conclusions of the Commission report on the implementation of the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (see EUROPE 11898), was challenged on glyphosate by a number of MEPs.
He vigorously rejected their criticisms, slamming the “conspiracy theory” of machinations by multinational companies to influence EU decisions and defending the conclusions of the two EU health safety agencies (EFSA for food and ECHA for chemicals) which concluded that glyphosate should not be classified as carcinogenic. “Whose science do you trust? Studies bought by Monsanto?” asked MEP Marc Tarabella (S&D, Belgium) who stormed angrily out of the room.
Following the vote of 9 November when member state experts failed to come to agreement on a five-year authorisation renewal for the herbicide, the member states will meet again on 27 November in the appeals committee to try to find a compromise (see EUROPE 11904). The European Commission has made clear from the start of discussions that it will not renew the glyphosate authorisation without the support of a qualified majority of member states.
“A large number of concerns around glyphosate result from the frustration of civil society at the apparent lack of progress in adopting more sustainable plant protection practices that have a lower environmental impact”, stated Commissioner Andriukaitis in his introduction.
The European Parliament voted on 24 October for a total ban on glyphosate within five years (see EUROPE 11890). “You propose renewal for three years but legally that’s not possible. The matter will be referred to the Court. Who will pay for the sanctions?” the commissioner asked.
A hearing of the organisers of the “Stop glyphosate” European citizens’ initiatives, which gathered over one million signatures, is to be held by the Parliament environment, agriculture, industry and petitions committees on 20 November. (Original version in French)