The European Parliament voted on Tuesday, 24th October, in support of phasing out the sale and use of glyphosate herbcides over the next five years and immediately banning the use of Roundup by domestic consumers.
"The European Parliament has correctly acknowledged the magnitude of glyphosate's risks," reports Nathan Donley at the Center (sic) for Biological Diversity, adding that "Now European regulators charged with protecting human health and the environment must follow the parliament's brave leadership and phase out the gross overuse of glyphosate."
The vote by MEPs is an advisory one that will influence a vote today, Wednesday 25th October, by experts from each member country on whether or not to follow the unwelcomed recommendation by the EU's executive commission to reauthorise glyphosate for a further 10 years.
After the result was announced yesterday in support of banning glyphosate, the EU Commission dropped its recommendation and has called for member countries to come to a consensus about what to do next.
Tuesday's vote was triggered by the World Health Organisation's finding that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen after its scientists and doctors looked at available studies produced by independent scientists which looked at glyphosate's health risks. These scientists ignored findings in Monsanto-funded reports, whcih offered the opposite conclusion on cancer, which had attempted to torpedo the review process.
"This wasn't just a vote against glyphosate," said Nathan Donley, "This was a vote supporting independent science and a vote against an industry that has manipulated, coerced and otherwise soiled independent decision-making in Europe and the rest of the world."
European and U.S. regulatory agencies have been harshly criticsed as evidence reveals that Monsanto influenced their safety assessments of glyphosate. Notably, Europe's food safety authority, EFSA, lifted text from Monsanto's glyphosate renewal application and concluded that glyphosate does not cause cancer. (here)
Leaked emails indicate that the head of the U.S. EPA's cancer review committee on glyphosate closely liaised with Monsanto employees during its analysis and successfully suppressed an investigation into glyphosate by another governmental agency.
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The Center for Biological Diversity is a US, nonprofit conservation organisation based in Tucson, Arizona with more than 1.5 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
