With protesters outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, EU member nations postponed a vote on extending the license to use the weedkiller glyphosate in Europe. Approval for the herbicide expires at the end of December and the next opportunity for an EU decision will likely be at a Nov. 6 meeting, said Associated Press.
The EU’s administrative wing had proposed a 10-year extension but abandoned the idea after a nonbinding vote in the European Parliament for a five-year phaseout. “Environmentalists want a ban as soon as possible while the EU’s farmers’ union wants a 15-year extension,” said AP. It quoted an EU spokeswoman as saying the European Commission “will continue to work with the member states to find a solution that enjoys the largest possible support.”
An industrial group, which includes Monsanto as a member, said the continued uncertainty over glyphosate threatens to put European farmers at a disadvantage in competing on the world market. The EU has debated glyphosate’s future for two years without reaching a lasting conclusion. In June 2016, the 28-nation bloc agreed on an 18-month extension of glyphosate’s license.