The European Commission is planning to relicense the permit of a contentious weedkiller that the World Health Organization claims causes cancer. The extension of the license is expected to carry on for the next 15 years. The opposition, including the U.N. agencies argued that the weedkiller's license should never be renewed.
EU is extending the license of the weedkiller next week, despite defiance from the European parliament and other nations. The weedkiller contains glyphosate, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer that causes cancer, The Guardian reported. WHO's cancer agency also claimed that the active ingredient present in the herbicide made by Mosanto and other GM products around the world is regarded as carcinogenic to humans.
"It is scandalous that the European Commission is willing to simply ignore the considerable scientific concern expressed about the health risks of glyphosate and is instead proposing to continue to allow its use for 15 more years, without any restrictions," Green agriculture and public health spokesperson Martin Häusling said about the proposed authorization of the weedkiller, according to The Ecologist. Org.
An unidentified source claimed that EU may extend the license of the weedkiller containing glyphosate until 2031. STL Today claims that a closed-door meeting on Monday and Tuesday is set to support the extension of authorization of glyphosate. An EU unnamed source claimed that the planned approval of the weedkiller's authorization may avoid legal vacuum after the current license expires in June. A diplomat on the other hand said that it's very unlikely that the approval would be blocked despite disapproval from one big member state.
Glyphosate is present as the active ingredient in popular herbicides such as Monsanto's Roundup. It is also commonly found in British breads and German beers. In November, EU's food watchdog, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced that the substance is not carcinogenic. However, it invited outcry from various sectors, including 96 experts and nearly all of the IARC team.
Greenpeace EU's food policy director, Franziska Achterberg said that Glyphosate was once called by Monsanto as "safe as table salt," and now Science claims that it is a serious threat to one's health and the environment. The director is calling not to ignore the proofs for another 15 years.
