Glyphosate is used in large quantities in agriculture to combat weeds. For the foreseeable future, this will remain the case in the EU. There is some clear criticism of the product from environmental associations and science. But what does it mean?
What do the EU institutions decide?
It’s about the EU Commission’s proposal that glyphosate can be used in the EU for another ten years. If a qualified majority had given the green light to this project this Friday, nothing would have stood in the way of renewed approval by the EU Commission. But because a sufficient majority was not found, the dispute is now moving into the next round.
How does glyphosate work?
The weed killer works on almost all green plants and has a spectrum as broad as hardly any other plant killer. The substance does not occur in nature. It blocks an enzyme in the plants that they need to produce vital amino acids. It is also found in fungi and microorganisms, but not in animals and humans. Glyphosate is not absorbed through the roots, but through green components such as the leaves. The substance spreads and causes a plant to wither completely and die. Where glyphosate is sprayed, grass no longer grows. And no herbs, bushes or moss either.
How much glyphosate is used?
The former US manufacturer Monsanto, which is now part of the Bayer Group, introduced the drug in 1974 under the trade name “Roundup”. Today, the substance accounts for around 25 percent of the global herbicide market, according to the Glyphosate Renewal Group – an association of companies that sell the product. According to the latest figures from the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, almost 4,100 tons were sold in Germany in 2021.
According to the Bavarian State Institute for Agriculture, around 40 percent of glyphosate is used in fruit, vegetable and wine growing in Europe, followed by grain growing (around 20 percent). Spain, Italy and France therefore have consumption that is twice to five times higher than Germany or Great Britain.
Where is the product used?
The vast majority of this comes from agriculture in Germany. But it is also used in horticulture. According to the German Farmers’ Association, glyphosate is used on around 37 percent of arable land. This is intended to keep the fields free of weeds before or shortly after sowing and again after the harvest. Glyphosate is not used during the growth period of the crops, otherwise they would also die. Glyphosate was also used along tracks for years, but Deutsche Bahn has stopped using it since 2023.
Why do farmers rely on this product?
Farmers want to use the weed killer to combat herbs and grasses that compete with crops for space, water, nutrients and sunlight. In contrast to many other agents, glyphosate does not have an impact on the soil when used in practice. If farmers can avoid using plows to control weeds, they save on labor and machine costs. The Glyphosate Renewal Group and the German Farmers’ Association point out that plowing could increase CO2 emissions and fossil fuel consumption. Plowing also leads to an undesirable loss of soil material and the destruction of microorganisms that are essential for humus formation.
Where do consumers encounter glyphosate?
Directly in your own garden and indirectly in the supermarket. There are pesticides containing glyphosate for beds and borders. Because it is used in agriculture, traces of the active ingredient can also be found in food – and not just in those that come directly from the field. For example, it can get into meat through animal feed, explains the Hamburg consumer advice center. Glyphosate has also been discovered in other products such as beer. But the amount is harmless, writes the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. If you don’t want to consume glyphosate, you should use organic products.
Where can glyphosate be used?
In principle, chemical-synthetic plant protection products may only be used on areas in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Its use is prohibited in nature reserves, national parks, public parks and gardens, sports fields, school grounds and playgrounds, as is generally on paved areas such as sidewalks or driveways. Organic farming is generally glyphosate-free. However, unfavorable winds can carry the substance onto the fields of organic farmers.
Why is glyphosate controversial from an environmental perspective?
Fewer wild plants in and next to the fields mean there is less habitat for insects and field birds. This also harms agriculture itself, because its yields depend largely on pollinating insects. And the herbicide is ultimately found throughout the entire food chain – including mammals.
In recent years, studies have repeatedly shown evidence of how glyphosate affects honey bees – for example on cognitive abilities or the immune system. A study by the University of Konstanz concludes that glyphosate impairs the ability of bumblebees to learn, reducing their chances of reproduction and survival.
Is glyphosate carcinogenic?
There has been a debate about this for years. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a body of the World Health Organization, classified the drug as “probably carcinogenic in humans” in 2015. This means that a risk of cancer is fundamentally possible. Raw and processed meat also falls into this category.
In contrast, the European Chemicals Agency only wrote again in 2022 that the scientific evidence was not sufficient to classify glyphosate as a carcinogenic, gene-modifying or reproductively toxic substance. The EU Food Safety Authority, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), among others, have also come to such a conclusion. Glyphosate manufacturer Bayer also rejects the suspicion that the weed killer is carcinogenic. Nevertheless, the group is faced with numerous lawsuits in the USA. In certain cases, Bayer had to pay high damages, but on the other hand it also won lawsuits.
What does an extension of approval mean for the planned ban in Germany from 2024?
That this could become more difficult. In principle, according to the EU Commission, individual EU states can issue their own rules on how products containing glyphosate can be used. Luxembourg has banned the use of glyphosate. However, the decision was overturned by the courts, among other things because Luxembourg had not sufficiently justified the ban. A purely German ban would not be a sure-fire success.
“Even if the legal context in Luxembourg can only be transferred to a limited extent, this means that the federal government can only issue a ban on glyphosate in certain areas of application with good reasons so that it can withstand the courts,” said Green MEP Jutta Paulus. She sees one possibility in extending and expanding existing restrictions, for example for water protection areas, allotment gardens and playgrounds.
What do environmental associations say about the EU decision?
They’re on the barricades. The Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation, for example, speaks of a “catastrophe for people and biodiversity.” For the WWF, the EU Commission’s recommendation is a sign of a system in which short-term profit stands in the way of sustainable change in agriculture. For Eva Corral from Greenpeace, the case is also clear. European governments should put protecting public health and the environment above the private business interests of companies, she says.
What do manufacturers say about the upcoming EU decision?
Bayer sees no problem for people or the environment in renewing the approval. Glyphosate is not carcinogenic, and other methods such as plowing the soil or weeding in agriculture also harm biodiversity. Studies on the dangers of glyphosate to bees have not been conducted under realistic conditions, Bayer said. However, it is realistic that farmers without glyphosate to combat weeds will switch to other approved herbicides that are more harmful to the environment than glyphosate.
The Glyphosate Renewal Group also welcomed the Commission’s recommendation. Continued use would enable farmers to effectively control weeds and contribute to a safer food supply.
What’s next?
The commission is now seeking a qualified majority in an appeals committee for reauthorization. The decision should be made in November. If the Commission can convince enough member states of its plan, nothing would stand in the way of renewing the approval. Things would look different if the majority of the committee spoke out against the renewal. If there is no majority for or against renewed approval, the commission would have to decide independently. A so-called qualified majority comes about when at least 55 percent of the EU states, which represent at least 65 percent of the population, speak out for or against the project.
Federal Ministry of Agriculture: Questions and answers about glyphosate Glyphosate Renewal Group: Questions and answers about glyphosate German Farmers’ Association about glyphosate Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety about sales of plant protection products Bavarian State Agency for Agriculture about glyphosate Deutsche Bahn about glyphosate-off on railway tracks Federal Institute for Risk Assessment about glyphosate in beer Federal Institute for Risk Assessment on glyphosate exposure Federal Institute for Risk Assessment on glyphosate classification Efsa documents on glyphosate Study on glyphosate and the microbiome of honey bees (2018) Study on the cognitive abilities of honey bees (2019) University of Konstanz on glyphosate and bumblebees (2023) IARC on glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic ” IARC on meat as “probably carcinogenic” Echa on glyphosate as not carcinogenic EPA on glyphosate Luxembourg government on glyphosate Communication from Luxembourg judiciary Bayer on glyphosate Bayer on alternatives to glyphosate
