 EU offers temporary approval of weedkiller glyphosate Brussels (AFP) June 29, 2016 - The European Commission on Wednesday extended approval of the weedkiller glyphosate in Europe for up to 18 months amid disagreements over whether the chemical could cause cancer. The EU's 28 member states are bitterly divided on the dangers of glyphosate, one of the world's most popular weedkillers first used in the Monsanto herbicide Roundup. Last month, EU national regulators delayed their decision on rolling over the approval of glyphosate for nine years after failing to find the necessary majority. Among major EU member states, France and Italy oppose re-approving glyphosate, while Germany has so far abstained from making a clear decision. Left with the indecision of the member states, the commission will now extend the existing approval until conclusions from scientific research by the EU becomes available by December 31, 2017 at the latest. "After EU Member States failed to take responsibility for the decision on glyphosate extension, Commission decided to extend the approval of glyphosate for a limited period of time," said Enrico Brivio, Commission Spokesperson for Health and Food Safety. Opponents to glyphosate, led by Greenpeace, point to research from the World Health Organisation that concludes the chemical may be carcinogenic and are calling for the ingredient's outright ban. In May, a review carried out by experts from both the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization said "glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet." |
Although the amount of herbicides used on croplands is reported and known, recent research reveals huge amounts of the plant-killing chemicals are used on public and tribal wildlands as well, according to a new study.
More than 1 million acres of federal and tribal lands were sprayed with chemicals to kill invasive plant species in 2010, a fact researchers said had not previously been known.
The chemicals have been developed to control weeds in croplands, but have been widely used against non-native plants that pose threats to federal wildlands. The concern, researchers said, is that it has largely gone unreported.
Researchers said gathering the data required many emails and phone calls to government offices and agro-statistical companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"Well-designed studies on the efficacy and effects of herbicides on native plant communities, coupled with increased reporting of herbicide usage, would assist with developing best practices for effectively and safely using herbicides to manage non-native plants in wildlands," Cara Nelson, a researcher at the University of Montana, said in a press release.
For the study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, researchers requested data on amounts and areas sprayed, though they report the efficacy and financial costs of using the chemicals has not been recorded in a standardized and consistent manner, nor has data been publicized.
The study reveals about 1.2 million acres of federal and tribal land were sprayed with approximately 201 tons of herbicide, most of which contained the active ingredient glyphosate. The selection of glyphosate surprised the researchers, they say, because it is nonselective and harms both grasses and herbs, which can damage native plants.
The researchers suggest better tracking of amounts and costs of the chemicals, as well as studies on their effects against non-native plants and the native ones the agencies are attempting to protect.
"The numbers are much less than those for croplands, but they are astonishing," said Wagner, a former UM postdoctoral researcher who led the study. "Imagine: The wildland area sprayed by herbicides in that year is comparable to 930,630 football fields, and the amount of herbicides used equals the weight of 13 school buses."
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