The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) said on [July 6] it had not identified “critical areas of concern” to prevent renewed approval in the European Union for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Bayer’sRoundup weed killer.
EU approval for the chemical that has been widely used by farmers for decades is to expire at the end of the year and the EFSA view on its impact on humans, animals and the environment is a key part of the process of deciding whether to renew it.
Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter.
Glyphosate has been a focus of controversy since the World Health Organization’s cancer agency IARC concluded in 2015 that it was probably carcinogenic to humans. Bayer has said decades of studies have shown that glyphosate is safe for human use.
…
The European Commission will determine whether to propose renewing approval for glyphosate based on the EFSA conclusion and a report from a group of four EU countries. EU members will subsequently vote on the Commission proposal.
Read the EFSA report here:
EFSA did not identify any critical areas of concern in its peer review of the risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate in relation to the risk it poses to humans and animals or the environment.
In 2022, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) carried out a hazard assessment of glyphosate and concluded that it did not meet the scientific criteria to be classified as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance. EFSA used ECHA’s hazard classification for the purposes of the EU risk assessment on glyphosate.
