Farmers throughout Europe will have to wait a little longer for a decision on the re-authorisation of glyphosate.
A vote on the future of the controversial chemical was expected to take place in Brussels yesterday at a meeting of the College of Commissioners.
But no such vote took place and now it remains unclear as to when the product will be re-authorised for use.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said that no date has been set for the next steps of the process of re-authorisation.
As it stands, farmers throughout Europe will be able to continue using products containing glyphosate – namely Roundup – until December 31, 2017.
But for the chemical to be used beyond that point, it needs to be re-authorised by the European Commission. This process must take place before the December 2017 deadline.
Speaking earlier this month, at the European Economic and Social Committee, Commissioner Phil Hogan was hopeful a decision “to re-authorise glyphosate for at least the next 10 years” would be made in the next few weeks.
His comments followed the publication of the European Chemical Agency’s risk assessment on glyphosate.
But, it did say that it should maintain the current harmonised classification as a substance causing serious eye damage and being toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.
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Opinions divided on glyphosate
Last week, the campaign group Uplift asked Irish people to join the ongoing global efforts to ban glyphosate.
The pressure group is mobilising its members in Ireland in order to secure 9,000 signatures, as part of an EU-wide campaign to get the herbicide banned.
This will contribute to the one million signatures that would be required to secure a response from the European Commission on the matter
“Glyphosate is causing untold damage to our health, environment and wildlife – including bees,” said Uplift Executive Director Siobhan O’Donoghue.
Uplift members refuse to stand by and let companies, such as Monsanto, continue to control government policy and thinking.
“We have a chance to finally get glyphosate banned at EU level and Uplift members are stepping up in their thousands to make this happen.”
Responding, IFA Grain Committee Chairman Liam Dunne said that glyphosate levels in Irish drinking water have not been found to be above levels that will damage human health.
“I sit on a committee involving representation from the EPA, Irish Water and the Department of Agriculture’s pesticide control section,” he said.
“Its core function is to identify ways by which the level of chemical residues in water can be reduced, across the board.
“To make this happen, 9,000 water samples are analysed on an annual basis. And, only on one occasion has the permitted level of glyphosate been breached.”
Dunne said that the continued availability of glyphosate is crucial in delivering a sustainable future for tillage farming in Ireland.
“There is no plan B when it comes to controlling grass weeds in cereal crops. In fact, grain production in Ireland would probably cease within five years of glyphosate being banned.
This is how important the herbicide is to the Irish tillage sector.
“Cereals have been grown by farmers for the past 40,000 years. And this historical time span can be very clearly split into life before and after glyphosate.
“The development of the herbicide has allowed Irish farmers to increase cereal yields on an exponential basis. If it were to be banned, Irish grain production would go into a tailspin, leaving the country dependent on cereal imports.
“And, invariably, these grains would be grown on land that has been treated with glyphosate,” he said.