The controversial decision to re-approve the use of glyphosate for another five years has exposed some fundamental failures of the EU’s pesticide approval system, revealing that chemical companies have an undue influence on EU scientific assessments.
The EC and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) disregarded the concerns of independent scientists, the European Parliament and the public, by labelling glyphosate as safe. EFFAT and many other organisations therefore welcome the Special Committee on the EU’s authorisation procedure for pesticides (PEST), set up by the European Parliament.
EFFAT hopes that the PEST Committee will rebuild trust by investigating the failures of the EU pesticides regime and by making recommendations for improvement.
