DESIRABLE FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS

Italy appreciates the great collective effort made by Member States, EFSA, ECHA and the Commission to finalize a new evaluation of glyphosate, which took place a few years after the previous one and involved the examination of a very considerable amount of data.

However, regarding some issues for further investigation as highlighted by the EFSA opinion and which emerged in the discussions to adopt the renewal regulation, Italy deems it appropriate to underline that it is desirable:

• to launch, at community level, of further integrative studies for collection of data to fill data gaps in order to protect biodiversity and the various environmental matrices;

• to complete, without undue delay, of the evaluation of the dossiers relating to the approval or renewal of the approval of active substances that are potential alternatives to glyphosate;

• that the use of the active substance is not authorized in the pre-harvest phase.

This is our ‘contribution’ … i.e. Italy’s signature on the extension for a period of ONLY TEN YEARS! To the use of glyphosate. 

Sure, why do not go on for a decade?

After all, Sleeping Beauty has been asleep for a hundred years, what can be ten in comparison?

In the meantime it is desirable, DESIRABLE! that Roundup is not used pre-harvest, of course, better not to have it freshly harvested in the dish, but nicely grown and integrated into the food.

Forgive my sarcasm, but I can’t stand these two sides: in recent years, governments have been ‘very concerned’ about our health, but apparently only about certain sides.

I wonder why, in this case, MORE studies are needed for at least ANOTHER ten years.

Yeah, another ten years, because, as I told you before, this story goes way back. 

All this while a Californian jury found Bayer, the company that acquired Monsanto liable in a lawsuit brought by a man who claimed his cancer was due to exposure to the company’s Roundup herbicide, and ordered it to pay $332 million in damages.

The verdict includes $7 million in compensatory damages and $325 million in punitive damages awarded to plaintiff Mike Dennis, who was diagnosed at the age of 51 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to a company spokesman. 

But it is desirable that the use of the active substance will not be authorised in the pre-harvest phase for another ten years.