We’ve been hearing about this “killer” toxic chemical for a while now, and most of the news outlets around the world have adopted the talk since many weeks. So what is really happening?
Germany to abstain in EU glyphosate vote
Next week, Germany will abstain in a European Union vote on the continued use of glyphosate in weed killers, because ministries run by different parties remain at odds over the chemical which some experts say could be carcinogenic.
However, there is a dispute among EU and U.S. politicians, regulators and researchers, over contradictory findings on the carcinogenic risks of glyphosate.
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert yesterday said that “It was not possible to develop a joint position,” adding “that’s why the German government will abstain in the vote in Brussels.”
Since France and Italy so far have refused to approve an extension, a German abstention could mean that there will be no majority for the vote on Monday.
12 to 18 months Extension
REUTERS mentioned that “the European Commission will propose a temporary 12 to 18-month extension of EU authorization for the weed killer, used in Monsanto’s Roundup, to allow time for a new scientific study into fears it may cause cancer”.
It added that “After failing to win support for an initial proposal for a 15-year approval, the EU executive has proposed the compromise to avoid a six-month phase-out period when the current license lapses at the end of June”.
The EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said that “The ball is now in the member state court.” While other EU sources said that “the compromise could enable member states that opposed license renewal, such as France, to change their position, , speaking on condition of anonymity”.
Andriukaitis said he hoped a study by the European Union’s Agency for Chemical Products (ECHA) would allay health concerns following a transatlantic row over whether glyphosate may cause cancer.
“Under the EU law, the last word belongs to the ECHA,” Andriukaitis told reporters in Brussels.
FAO and WHO: Unlikely to cause risk to Humans
Experts from the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) said last month glyphosate was unlikely to pose a risk to humans exposed to it through food. It is mostly used on crops.
The finding matches that of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent agency funded by the European Union, but runs counter to a March 2015 study by the WHO’s Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
That agency said glyphosate was probably able to cause cancer in humans and classified it as a ‘Group 2A’ carcinogen. It said it assessed whether the substance can cause cancer in any way – regardless of real-life conditions on typical levels of human exposure or consumption.
Amid contradicting studies and information on the deadly effects of glyphosate, we have to wait and see what will happen next, and what where will the voting take us. Is glyphosate carcinogenic or not?…
