Glyphosate is set to have its authorisation expiry date extended until 15 December 2025 in Britain after the Brexit transition period finishes at the end of the year.

This was according to Darren Flynn, head of active substances delivery for the Chemical Regulation Division (CRD) who spoke at the recent Virtual British Crop Production Council (BCPC) 2020 congress.

Approval of glyphosate in the EU is set to expire on 15 December 2022. Efforts are currently under way to prepare for the renewal of its authorisation, but the weed killer remains a highly divisive topic.

British regime

Mr Flynn explained that all active substances due to expire between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2023 would be granted a three-year extension under the new British pesticides regulation regime.

The extension will not apply in Northern Ireland, as, under the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol, the country will remain under the remit of the EU’s plant protection product regulations.

Story originally reported in the Farmers Weekly.