1. Glyphosate justgot a last minute stay of execution. AfterBrexit,its future is more uncertain.
By Natalie McNelis,12July2016
Glyphosate isthe herbicidal activeingredientin,notably,Monsanto’spopularweed-killerRoundup. It’s
beenusedinthe UnitedStatessince the mid-70sandapproved inthe EU since 2002. Glyphosate’sEU
approval isup forrenewal,andalthoughthe EU has issuedatemporaryextension,the processhasbeen
tumultuous. Inthe nextgo-round,it’snotclearthatglyphosate willmake it withoutthe UK’ssupport.
Andif glyphosate isbannedinthe EU, the UK mightnot be able to use it afterall,if itwants accessto
the EU marketfor itsagricultural products.
Glyphosate hasbeentoutedasa near-perfectherbicide,withAustralianweed-expertStephenPowles
sayingitis “asimportantforreliable globalfood production aspenicillin is forbattling disease." But in
December2014, the WorldHealthOrganization (WHO) International AgencyforResearchon Cancer
(IARC) December2014 foundthat glyphosate is “probably carcinogenicto humans.”
As part of the EU’s routine review, the EU’sFoodSafetyAuthority,EFSA,reviewedglyphosate’ssafety.
Afterthe IARCreport,the EU explicitly instructed EFSA toaddress IARC’sconcerns. InNovember2015,
EFSA concludedglyphosate didnotpose acarcinogenichazardto humans at currentlevelsof exposure.
Additional supportsubsequentlycame infrom anotherWHOoutfit,the JointMeetingonPesticide
Residues(JMPR). InMay2016, the JMPR said glyphosate is“unlikely to causecancer in people via
dietary exposure.”Withthose findings,renewal of the approval wasexpectedtofollowwithout
incident.
Notso. The backlash,especiallyfrom certainNGOsandpolitical partiesinthe EU wasvociferous and
sustained. Inparticular,glyphosate-opponentsquestionedthe experts’tiesto the glyphosateindustry.
Individual MemberStateswere inatightspot. Once the word“carcinogenic”was out of the bag,it
became politicallytrickytosupportthe substance openly. Yettheiragricultural communitieswarnedof
dire consequencesif deprivedof thistool. CertainMemberStatesreportedlyapproachedthe European
Commissionbehindthe scenesandaskedforitto take the heatand extendglyphosate’sapproval
anyway. Junckerresisted. Followingabruisingdebate,glyphosateobtainedatemporaryrespite –the
Commission begrudgingly decidedtoextendthe approval until the endof 2017, pendinganadditional
opinion byEU agencyfor the assessmentof chemicals, ECHA.
But, if – as the EuropeanCommissionputit – “the extremely thorough and stringentscientific
assessmentof theactive substanceby theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and theMember
States'nationalagencies”was not enough tosatisfycritics,ECHA’sopinion won’tbe either. The
question isgoingtorear itsheadagain once we have the ECHA opinion.
Andat that point,the UK mightnot have a seat at the table. To recall,the UK farmerswere particularly
vocal about theirneedforaccessto glyphosate,andthe UKwas outspokenly forextensionof its
approval. Meanwhile, Italy,France,Swedenandthe Netherlands were opposed,and Germanywas
politicallyhamstrung.
In the nextround, whoknowsif the UK will have anysay at all. Withoutthe UK’s support,if opposition
on the continentpersists –andwhywouldn’tit? – thenglyphosate’s EUapproval isprecariousindeed.

2. Andafterwards,whenthe UKis free tomake its ownpolicies? Surely glyphosate will havefree reinin
the UK then,right?
Perhapsnot,if the UK wantsto have continuedaccesstothe EU market. If glyphosate isbannedinthe
EU, the EU mayverywell restrict importsof agricultural products bearingglyphosate residues. EU
concernsabout“unfair”competitionfromUKfarmersallowedtouse glyphosate mightleadthe EU to
establishverylowMRLs (maximumresidue levels)indeed–ineffect,amountingtoan outrightbanon
trace residuesof glyphosate.
Such dire predictionsmightnotplayoutinthe case of glyphosate. A compromise mightemerge within
the EU; residuesmightturnoutto be manageable afterall. Butthe example of glyphosate should stand
as a cautionarytale for the UK. The UK clamoredtobe freedfrom the shacklesof EU membership. Yet
to the extentthatthe UK wantsaccessto the EU marketfor itsagricultural products,itmightendup
havingto march to the beatof the EU drumafter all – but thistime, withouthavingaplace inthe
orchestra.