The European Union Member States have voted in favor of limiting the use of the World’s most used herbicide, glyphosate, the European Commission announced on Monday.
Experts from the member states set conditions such as increasing scrutiny of pre-harvest use of glyphosate and minimizing the chemical’s use in areas like parks and playgrounds, the European Commission confirmed.
The EU Member States also confirmed their support for a ban on a co-formulant (POE-tallowamine) from glyphosate-based products.
“The member states today voted in favor of a proposal by the Commission to restrict the conditions of use of glyphosate in the EU,” Enrico Brivio, Commission spokesperson for Health and Food Safety, told a press conference.
The unelected European Commission (EC), at the end of June, unilaterally extended the license of glyphosate until the end of 2017, despite the democratic European member states creating the Great Glyphosate Rebellion by repeatedly not reaching an agreement to renew the approval of the World’s most used herbicide.
The extension allows time for the European Chemicals Agency to issue its opinion on the health risks of the probable carcinogen glyphosate, which they are expected to do in 2017.
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Sustainable Pulse Director, Henry Rowlands, reacted to the support of the EU Members States for restrictions on use of glyphosate herbicides; “Despite the restrictions on use not being enforceable in law, Sustainable Pulse has been in contact with many of the Environment Ministries in Europe and we have been assured that serious measures will be taken in France, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Malta, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and most likely in a number of other countries.
“This is a huge step in the right direction and most European citizens now look forward to a full ban on the use of glyphosate herbicides in the near future,” Rowlands concluded.
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