The NGO HEAL (Health and Environment Alliance) and eight environmental health protection organisations are calling on EU Member States’ ministers for agriculture, health, and the environment to urge their governments to support the non-renewal of glyphosate’s licence in the EU due to health and environmental concerns linked to this highly controversial total herbicide (see EUROPE 13255/15 and 13254/1).
The appeal was made in a letter dated 9 October that was addressed to the aforementioned ministers and published on Tuesday, 10 October—2 days before the SCoPAFF meeting, which is due to culminate in the EU27 representatives voting on the proposal to extend glyphosate’s licence in the EU on 13 October.
“Beyond concerns about carcinogenicity, the growing pile of evidence on the irreversible health harm associated with glyphosate exposure should lead every responsible decision-maker to ban this hazardous pesticide without delay. The European Commission’s 10-year renewal proposal is incomprehensible, given the data gaps in the industry dossier”, according to HEAL’s Health and Chemicals Programme Lead Natacha Cingotti (see EUROPE 13259/7).
Austria, Germany, and Luxembourg have announced that they will vote against the proposal (see EUROPE 13258/6). Belgium reportedly might abstain. The French minister for agriculture has announced a favourable vote.
On 12 October, the SCoPAFF is scheduled to simply discuss the matter so as to allow the European Commission to survey the countries and see if its proposal would be able to garner the qualified majority required.
On 24 October, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment is expected to vote on the objection submitted by the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13264/5).
In contrast, in a letter addressed to Member States, HEAL calls on them to support the European Commission’s proposals on the non-renewal of authorisations—without derogations—in the EU for five endocrine-disrupting pesticides: asulam sodium, benthiavalicarb, clofentezine, metiram, and triflusulfuron-methyl.
Letter from the nine NGOs: https://aeur.eu/f/8z2
Letter from HEAL: https://aeur.eu/f/8z3
The SCoPAFF’s agenda: https://aeur.eu/f/8z4 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)