European Union countries on Thursday again delayed a vote on whether to renew the sales authorization of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto Co.’s popular weedkiller Roundup, amid conflicting scientific assessments on whether the substance causes cancer in humans. “Since it was obvious that no qualified majority would have been reached, a vote was not held,” said a spokeswoman for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. The commission had proposed to reauthorize glyphosate for nine years once its current sales license runs out on June 30.
The spokeswoman said the commission would now reflect on how to react to the outcome of two-day discussions among experts from EU countries. After a failure to achieve the necessary majority in favor of a renewal at an earlier meeting in March, the commission had already reduced the proposed authorization period to nine from 15 years.
The French government said earlier this month that it was still opposed to a reauthorization of glyphosate, while Germany said it would abstain from a vote. Italy and several other countries have also come out against a renewal of the sales license in recent months. “If no decision is taken before June 30, glyphosate will be no longer authorized in the EU and member states will have to withdraw authorizations for all glyphosate-based products,” the commission spokeswoman said. That would mean that stores have six months to sell off remaining stocks. After that, users already in possession of glyphosate would have as much as a year to use up or dispose of their remaining products. National governments have the right to shorten these phaseout periods. “Safety first, health first. I am against authorizing this product until these doubts have been entirely ruled out,” Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s vice chancellor and head of the center-left Social Democratic Party, said Tuesday. The SPD’s center-right coalition partners, which control the agriculture ministry, are backing a reauthorization, which forced Germany to abstain in Thursday’s vote.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, May 19, 2016
http://www.wsj.com/articles/health-concerns-delay-eu-vote-on-monsantos-…
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