Last-minute lobbying for use of glyphosate

Brussels committee urged not to choose political rhetoric over evidence

Intense last-minute lobbying for the herbicide glyphosate to be reauthorised for a full 15-year term is under way in Brussels ahead of a decision by the European Commission which is expected tomorrow.

Perthshire farmer Ian Sands from Balbeggie, chairman of NFU Scotland’s combinable crops committee, and union deputy director of policy Andrew Bauer yesterday met UK and Scottish Government representatives along with the European farmers’ unions CopaCogeca.

Member states failed to reach a majority decision in favour of renewing the authorisation at last month’s meeting of the relevant standing committee in Brussels, and technical representatives meet again tomorrow to consider the issue.

Time is pressing as the product’s existing authorisation expires on December 15. If no qualified majority can be secured for reauthorisation the decision would be passed to the Appeals Committee of Member States’ political representatives.

Glyphosate has received a clean bill of health from the European Food Safety Authority and European Chemicals Agency.

However, last month, in a non-binding vote, the European Parliament voted against renewal of the product’s registration and in favour of restrictions on the use of glyphosate by next year and its full phasing out by 2022.

Speaking from Brussels, Mr Sands emphasised the importance of glyphosate to the Scottish farming industry.

He said: “The whole credibility of the decision-making process in Brussels would be in jeopardy if the expert committee were to choose political rhetoric over hard, scientific evidence and opt not to reauthorize glyphosate for the full 15 years.”

Last week a letter was sent from the UK’s farming unions to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Health and Food Safety Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis, and Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan.

The union also lobbied all Scottish MEPs and is encouraging members to email or tweet Messrs Junker, Andriukaitis and Hogan to explain how important glyphosate is to their business.

“With the UN’s Climate Change Conference – COP 23 – taking place in Germany this week, glyphosate is an environmentally-friendly product that politicians and policy-makers can get behind,” Mr Sands said.

“The low-carbon release benefits of minimum tillage are best achieved using glyphosate ahead of direct drilling while pre-harvest use on crops aids ripening in challenging climates like ours and significantly cuts down the use of fossil fuels to dry grain.”

The whole credibility of the decisionmaking process in Brussels would be in jeopardy . . . IAN SANDS

Picture: Kris Miller. Among the crops glyphosate is important for is oilseed rape. Last-minute lobbying is under way for the herbicide to be reauthorised for a full 15-year term.