EU extends glyphosate licence by 5 years
Extending herbicide’s approval until December 2022 has pleased neither industry nor environmental campaigners
The European commission has voted to renew its approval for glyphosate herbicide for an additional five years. The decision ends months of deadlock with 18 member states voting in favour, nine against and one abstention.
Glyphosate, originally developed by Monsanto as the active ingredient in Roundup, is the world’s most widely used herbicide and has been used for several decades. The current EU approval for glyphosate was due to expire on 15 December, but moves to renew the license had stalled with insufficient support from member states either in favour or against the proposals.