Two months after France’s minister of ecology called for the ban, France has decided to ban glyphosate when mixed with certain additives.
In February the minister, Ségolène Royal, called fro ANSES – France’s food, environment and health agency – to ban herbicides containing glyphosate mixed with tallow amine. Tallow amine is an additive that aids the effectiveness of herbicides. Both are present in the famous Monsanto weedkiller, Roundup. France originally banned Roundup from garden centers last year.
In March of last year the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, IARC, published a study that linked Roundup to cancer. Then the European Food Safety Agency released information that suggested that although glyphosate on its own was not known to cause cancer, they admitted they hadn’t studied glyphosate ‘when mixed with additional additives, so there could be safety concerns.
This week ANSES sent a letter to manufacturer’s preparing them it intends to withdraw all herbicides containing glyphosate mixed with tallow amine.
Monsanto maintains that their product is safe, and that the recent arguments over glyphosate or purely “political.”
Last month government officials in several European countries protested against the European Commission’s plans to approve the re-licensing of glyphosate. The licensing is due to end in June.
France, Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands Rebel Against Relicensing of Monsanto’s Glyphosate https://t.co/NaBcGr9YDr @PAN_UK @bpncamp
— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) March 7, 2016
COMMENTS