|
|
The EU Commission's Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) today formally objected to the time-limited extension of the glyphosate authorisation. The use of glyphosate is currently only authorised until 15 December 2022. However, procedural delays could lead to a formal administrative extension of the authorisation for a short period of time. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), these delays have arisen because around 3,000 pages of comments were received during the public consultations. They still have to be processed and included in the assessment report.
Germany abstained from the vote despite its clear commitment to abandon glyphosate from 1 January 2024. The German government is critical of the delay, but does not want to stand in the way of a formal administrative extension for a short period of time. This could become necessary in order to make the technical decision on the use of glyphposate legally unassailable. According to a statement by the German Ministry of Agriculture, the decision should not be contestable due to formal or procedural errors. If no qualified majority of the member states is reached in the current procedure, the EU Commission alone can decide on the extension of the authorisation.
The German government emphasises that the impact of glyphosate on biodiversity must play a "decisive role" in the re-approval procedure. According to the press release, it is "counting on an agricultural policy that recognises and takes into account climate protection and biodiversity as a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable agriculture".
(al / Source: Press release; Photo: 123rf)
More on the topic:
Glyphosate not carcinogenic according to European Chemicals Agency