Dutch Member of the European Parliament Anja Hazekamp has put a discussion about a glyphosate ban on the agenda of the plenary session, and is expected to request a verdict on it. Such an amendment could come to a vote during the plenary week of October 16. This is a few days after the 27 EU countries will discuss the proposal for the first time and may vote on it.
According to Hazekamp, research has shown that 63 percent of all Dutch people have traces of glyphosate in their bodies. “No one benefits from a new ten-year permit for this poison except the pesticide industry.”
During the last approval extension in 2017, there was no majority among EU countries for a ban, partly because it was not conclusively established that the substance is dangerous to humans and the environment. Therefore, a five-year period was agreed upon during which two EU agencies (ECHA and EFSA) would conduct further research. This period would also allow time to introduce alternatives.
Both agencies recently concluded that continued use is possible if additional measures are taken to prevent pesticide runoff into surface waters. Other sprayers must also be used to prevent the substance from drifting.
A strong veto against the new glyphosate approval can only be issued by a qualified majority of EU countries (55 percent of the EU countries representing 65 percent of the population). A majority in the Dutch House of Representatives recently voted in favor of a motion by the Party for the Animals and GroenLinks that instructs the Dutch cabinet to vote against the new glyphosate approval in Brussels. Other EU countries, including Germany and Austria, also advocate this position.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, the use of glyphosate is banned for individuals but not in agriculture and horticulture. In Portugal, it is banned in public spaces. In the Czech Republic, its use has been restricted but not banned since 2019. Germany plans to ban glyphosate by the end of 2023.
It is known that a majority in the Dutch House of Representatives opposes the approval, but the caretaker Minister of Agriculture Piet Adema has not yet taken a position: he is awaiting a technical advice from the Ctgb. He is expected to inform the House before October 13.