In a joint letter, British farm groups urged the European Union to reauthorize use of the weedkiller glyphosate “for the maximum period possible.” The European Commission has proposed a five-year extension of the license for glyphosate, and an EC committee could discuss the future of the herbicide at a meeting expected on Thursday, said news site Farming UK.
“The UK farming unions firmly believe that the EU’s science-based decision making process should be upheld and glyphosate reauthorised for the maximum period possible,” said the letter. “Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have concluded that glyphosate cannot be considered carcinogenic and therefore there should be no safety concerns related to its reauthorisation for the maximum period of 15 years.”
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. The WHO cancer agency classified it as probably carcinogenic to humans in 2015. Regulators in the United States and Europe have disagreed.