A high-level EU committee has produced a draft report on glyphosate to help advise on its safety for reregistration. The Assessment Group on Glyphosate (AGG), which is the active ingredient in Roundup and many other products, seems largely supportive of the active.

Normally the registration of a pesticide is conducted by a single member state but, given the political controversy around glyphosate, the task of examining it comprehensively was given to the AGG. It includes the competent authorities for the assessment of active ingredients in France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The AGG’s draft report on the renewal of glyphosate was submitted to the European Food Safety Authority and registration authorities. The reregistration of glyphosate was highly politicised last time around when it only scraped through registration and for a much shorter time than normal.

Controversy

That controversy hinged around claims by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015 that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans” (could cause cancer).

The two EU agencies will continue the assessment process, which will include public consultations, and the report will be reviewed by even more member state experts.

A conclusion on the risk assessment is expected around the second half of 2022, which will indicate whether the approval can be renewed, or not.

Based on the information assessed, the AGG proposes that classifications of glyphosate regarding carcinogenicity and many other claims are not justified, but that its current classification as causing serious eye damage is.