Are you puzzled about what to teach about glyphosate – the world’s widest-used weedkiller? If so, then a piece on the BBC’s Gardeners Question Time [GQT] last week might leave you better informed. It began about 15 minutes into the programme, and provided (for us) a useful summary.
However, last Thursday, EU experts failed again to take a decision on whether to renew its licence, when the standing committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF), failed to organise a vote. The current licence expires on 30 June, and a number of countries including France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden, have raised objections, mainly over alleged impacts on human health. The bottom line is that, if no decision is taken before June 30th, glyphosate will be no longer authorised in the EU and member states will have to withdraw authorisations for all glyphosate based products. That will likely be a back-door outcome which will suit some countries, and many NGOs.
EUObserver has more details.