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The European Commission is expected to hold another vote on renewing the licence for glyphosate in November, after EU member states in a standing committee decided not to vote on its reauthorisation on Wednesday morning.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that informal talks in the committee saw discussions around a seven-, five- and three-year re-authorisation periods for glyphosate.
However, on each re-authorisation period, member states failed to reach a consensus. Following these informal discussions, no official and therefore binding vote took place.
It is possible that the Commission will come forward with another proposal on glyphosate's re-authorisation in the coming weeks ahead of the upcoming 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.
On Tuesday, MEPs voted to phase it out over five years, meaning by 2022 glyphosate would be banned.
The majority of 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.
Irish jobs on the line if glyphosate goes
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