Six EU nations which opposed the recent re-authorization of glyphosate use are launching a new drive for an “exit plan” in favor of safer alternatives. AgroNews has a summary at this link.
Feb. 7, 2018 — Last November’s narrow vote by the Appeals Committee within the EU approved a licensing extension for glyphosate only after Germany’s Agricultural Minister, Christian Schmidt, switched positions and tipped the balance into a majority vote.
Schmidt is now the acting German minister of Transport, is aiding in formation of parties for a coalition government — and also promising that glyphosate use will be restricted and “as soon as possible essentially terminated.“
Recent opinion polls find that the majority of Germans oppose ongoing use of glyphosate and favor finding alternatives.
Opposition to glyphosate in the U.S. is also toughening as evidence mounts of its long-term toxicity and the secretive political pressures exerted to keep its U.S. approval alive. A “Minority Staff Report” prepared for members of the Committee on Science, Space & Technology was released to inform committee members at the Washington, DC hearing this week on glyphosate safety issues. Our sources indicate that the committee chairman refused to include the minority report in the proceedings.
The 18-page summary describes in stunning detail the political pressures applied on U.S. regulators, along with dubious “scientific” evidence of glyphosate safety. You can download it at this link.