France backs down on glyphosate

The European authorisation for the most widely used herbicide active is back on the agenda as farm organisations and environmentalists continue to campaign for and against its use.

Thomas Hubert

4 October 2017

Glyphosate is up for re-authorisation by the end of this year.

EU member states will resume discussions on glyphosate in Brussels this Thursday and Friday, but may not take a final vote until later this year.

The current authorisation for glyphosate expires at the end of December.

The German position is uncertain, as Angela Merkel may or may not need Green support to form a coalition after last month’s election.

France had previously announced it would vote against the European Commission’s proposal for a 10-year re-authorisation. However, following a farmer protest in Paris, French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Travert said that his country would propose a five- to seven-year licence coupled with usage restrictions.

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