Glyphosate: EPP Group for limited renewal until viable solutions are found

Prior to today's vote on glyphosate in the European Parliament, the EPP Group calls on Member States to find a solution

Prior to the vote in the European Parliament on an objection to the European Commission's proposal to renew the use of the active substance glyphosate, the EPP Group has sent a message to the Member States to find a solution to this issue that takes into account both health concerns and the future of European farmers.

"The objectors are going too far calling for measures which would phase out glyphosate within no later than 3 years, starting on December 15 when the glyphosate licence actually expires", commented Angélique Delahaye MEP, EPP Group negotiator on the dossier in the Environment Committee, adding that the EPP Group’s proposal is 5 years.

"The use of glyphosate worries European citizens, obviously, but at the same time, the agricultural sector depends highly on it and it is absolutely necessary to find solutions to replace it before totally forbidding it", she said.

For Angelique Delahaye, the objection by the Greens, the Left-wing Groups and Eurosceptics is nothing but a political move. "The reality is that, on this day, there are no viable alternatives for the use of glyphosate. Rather than banning it without having an alternative, we should help professionals to be trained in its proper use and make sure that non-professionals’ use of the substance is strictly limited", Angélique Delahaye concluded.

The Parliament’s vote is not legally binding but leads the way for the meeting of the regulatory committee tomorrow. "We need time in which an alternative must be developed", agreed Peter Liese MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in the Environment Committee. "We think that the Commission’s proposal can be improved under several conditions. I find it unbearable that in some countries glyphosate is still used directly before crop harvesting for weed control. From my point of view this is not sustainable agriculture", he stressed.