According to a new report, the EU regulators gave a positive assessment for the continued sale of the substance last week.
The EU relicensing of glyphosate, the world's most widely used weed killer, has become a point of contention between environmentalists and agribusiness.
A study last week found that the ability of bumblebees to regulate colony temperatures has been damaged by the use of pesticides.
The European Chemical Agency's assessment contains serious scientific flaws that question its scientific objectivity, because of an alleged rejection of findings from 10 out of 11 studies which link the herbicide ingredient to tumours formations, according to a report by NGOs.
According to the report, animals exposed toGlyphosate developed tumours with significantly higher incidences compared to their unexposed control group.
The EU risk assessment concluded that the tumours were all caused by chance and not related to the exposure toGlyphosate.
Historical control data backs seven of the animal studies, and five of them show that mice and rats develop more than one type of cancer. The number of tumours rose in some of the studies.
Prof Christopher Portier, an expert whose analysis informed the new report by the Health and Environment Alliance, said that there were many different types of cancer found in the studies.
Portier was an invited specialist for the WHO panel that foundGlyphosate to be "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015.
He said that there is more than enough evidence to show that the substance is likely to cause cancer.
The report said that Echa's decision not to apply a secondary classification was "incomprehensible".
The latest Echa review was in line with the recommendations of the Assessment Group on Glyphosate made up of experts from four countries.
The full opinion of the risk assessment committee will be published in August.
An online summary states that it is not justified to classifyGlyphosate as a carcinogen because it is toxic to aquatic life and causes eye damage.
The papers that found tumours in mice and rats were reviewed by the chemicals agency.
The findings from the studies conducted withGlyphosate were not dismissed but a correlation was not found between exposure to the substance and the incidences of tumours observed.
The EU's European Food Safety Authority and the US Environmental Protection Agency disagree with the WHO's finding thatGlyphosate causes cancer.
Glyphosate was developed by Monsanto and sold to Bayer for over $60 billion.
The deal led to Bayer picking up the tab for a number of court disputes. After Monsanto lost its first US court case over the RoundUp pesticide, its share fell by 45%. The acquisition was described by the Wall Street Journal as one of the worst deals of the year.
Our daily newsletter is sent out every weekday at 7am.
The Echa assessment did not classifyGlyphosate as having specific target organ toxicity or as being a mutagenic or reprotoxic substance.
He believes that there is a strong science-based rationale for a renewed approval ofGlyphosate, which would continue to provide farmers and professionals with an important technology in an integrated weed management approach.
Glyphosate-based herbicides are an important part of sustainable agriculture and in the product portfolio of Bayer.
Last week, it was announced that the next assessment of the chemical would be published a year later than planned.
A temporary extension of the existing licence may be possible if the EU decides to relicense the product by the end of the year.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
