EU allows five more years of glyphosate use


European Union member states have voted by a majority of 18 to nine to reauthorise the use of the herbicide glyphosate for another five years. This was despite a petition signed by more than 1.3 million people across Europe calling for a ban on the potentially carcinogenic weedkiller. 


The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies glyphosate, the world’s most widely and heavily applied weedkiller, as probably carcinogenic to humans. In 2016, the European Commission proposed reauthorising the use of glyphosate for the next 15 years, but the vote in the European Commission’s Appeal Committee means a full ban on glyphosate-based herbicides by December 2022 and immediate restrictions on its use.


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/27/controversial-glyphosate-weedkiller-wins-new-five-year-lease-in-europe