EFFAT-IUF Europe is urging affiliates in the European Union (EU) to lobby their governments to vote against a European Commission proposal to renew authorization of the use of glyphosate for 10 years. A vote on the proposal is likely to be taken in the European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee) on November 16.
- In 2015, the World Health Organisation concluded that glyphosate was a potential carcinogen
- New data published in October 2023 by the multi-institutional international Global Glyphosate Study found that “low doses of glyphosate-based herbicides cause leukaemia in rats” with half of the leukaemia deaths occuring at an early age
- A joint EFFAT-IUF letter to the Health and Food Safety Commissioner calls on the Commission, rather than renewing use, “to propose an immediate ban on glyphosate use supported by accompanying measures that include the promotion of non-chemical alternatives and just transition measures for workers”
- A decision must be taken by December 14 as the current approval expires the next day; an attempt in mid-October to get a decision on the renewal proposal failed when it proved impossible to get the “qualified majority” required in the Committee either to support or to block the proposal
