Italy intends to vote against the [European] Commission’s proposal to renew for 10 years the market authorization for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s widely used RoundUp weedkiller, according an official familiar with Rome’s position.
“We are nearing elections and politically the government does not want to pick a fight on such a sensitive dossier where both media and public opinion associate glyphosate with evil,” the official said.
The confirmation of a negative vote from one of the EU’s food industry powerhouses comes days after France declared it also intends to vote against, and less than 10 days before national experts are expected to discuss the Commission’s proposal on October 5 and 6.
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[During the last meeting of the European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed in July] Italy did not give its position on the renewal, nor did other big hitters such as France, Poland and Spain. Germany expressed its support for the extension in July.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded glyphosate was a probable carcinogen. Both the European Food Safety Authority and European Chemicals Agency, however, ruled that it was safe.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Italy plans to vote against renewal of glyphosate authorization (behind paywall)
