The European Commission’s controversial proposal to renew the approval of toxic substance glyphosate will be debated next week in the European Parliament following left demands.

The Left has always advocated for a ban on glyphosate. This opportunity was missed in 2017. Now, the European Commission intends to let this poison destroy human health, biodiversity, and nature for another ten years. It’s up to each individual EU member state to prevent this.
“The proposed prolongation of the market authorization for Glyphosate is unscientific and violates EU pesticides law. The Left has submitted an objection to the decision of the European Commission. Our group successfully placed the topic on the agenda for the plenary session next week” say Co-Presidents of The Left, Manon Aubry (La France Insoumise) and Martin Schirdewan (DIE LINKE, Germany).

“Despite all the scientific literature on the links between the massive spraying of RoundUp and the decline in biodiversity, the rising costs of the production of clean drinking water and the high and rising incidences of cancer and Parkinson, the European Commission is proposing to keep glyphosate on the market for another 10 years. We reject this toxic proposal and request an immediate glyphosate-ban in the interest of public health, animals and the environment,” says Left MEP Anja Hazekamp (Partij voor de dieren, Netherlands).

According to information from French NGO “Générations futures”, Bayer Monsanto allegedly concealed a study highlighting the toxic effects of glyphosate on neuronal development. Bayer Monsanto is a multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation that has been earning billions with glyphosate since it acquired the American agrochemical company Monsanto in 2018.

The European authorities also used faulty arguments to dismiss certain findings indicating health risks associated with glyphosate. Per EU regulations, pesticides that can cause cancer must be banned. However, in 2017, after two years of controversy and scandals, Monsanto’s glyphosate weed killer was granted re-approval by the EU.

“It’s high time to put an end to this. Until it’s conclusively proven that the herbicide is harmless to human and animal health as well as biodiversity, it should not be sprayed on our fields or used elsewhere,” the Left MEPs conclude.