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Four out of six Scottish MEPs opposed a 10-year extension to the renewal of the licence for glyphosate at a vote in the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Most MEPs voted to oppose a 10-year extension to the renewal of the herbicide, called for restrictions on its use from 2018 and called for a full ban by 2022. Scotland’s SNP and Labour MEPs voted in favour of a ban, while Conservative MEP Baroness Mobarik voted to renew glyphosate’s licence.
Aberdeenshire farmer Charlie Adam said he is “furious, it would be a disaster for my business. I am in absolutely no doubt that economically and environmentally glyphosate is far better.”
He calculates that glyphosate costs £1.20/t to lower moisture levels by 1%, a cheaper option to burning fossil fuels.
“There is no justifiable science saying that glyphosate is not a perfectly suitable product to use. What they are doing is shooting themselves in the foot. Alternative products could be more damaging.”
EU member states have a final say on the matter but failed to reach a qualified majority on Wednesday morning.
Farmers Journal Scotland understands that informal talks in the committee saw discussions around seven-year, five-year and three-year reauthorisation periods for glyphosate.
However, on each reauthorisation period, member states failed to reach a qualified majority.
Germany abstained from the vote and France voted against while 16 countries including the UK voted in favour of glyphosate’s renewal, according to Politico.
Following these informal discussions, no official and therefore binding vote took place.
It is possible that the European Commission will come forward with another proposal on glyphosate’s reauthorisation in the coming weeks ahead of the next vote.
The standing committee has the final say in deciding whether herbicides containing glyphosate will remain on the shelves at the end of this year.
It is understood that the vote will take place in early November.
The decision to push the vote back to November brings it ever closer to 15 December – the date glyphosate’s authorisation licence runs out.
How did the Scottish MEPs vote?
In favour of ban on glyphosate:
Against ban:
Abstained:
SHARING OPTIONS: