On September 20, the European Commission (EC) released a draft review and approval of glyphosate, recommending that its approval period in the EU be extended by 10 years. The new approval time is: December 16, 2023 to December 15, 2033.
At present, member states have voted on the draft at the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee) held on the 13th of this month, but the drama of the previous vote has been repeated. Since it did not receive a qualified majority vote and did not reach an opinion on whether to adopt or reject the draft at the meeting, the EC decided to submit the draft to the Appeal Committee, which is expected to be considered again in early November. The countdown to glyphosate’s re-evaluation in the EU has officially begun.
Latest specifications to be approved
The specifications proposed for approval in the draft have changed from the specifications in the previously released draft re-review assessment (dRAR). Glyphosine (N,N-bis-phosphonomethylglycine, glyphosine) has been added as a relevant impurity, and a limit of ≤3 g/kg has been set.
The latest specifications to be approved are:
Active substance content: Glyphosate ≥ 950 g/kg
Relevant impurity limits:
Glyphosate-N-nitroso-monosodium salt (N-nitroso-glyphosate, NNG) < 1 mg/kg
Formaldehyde < 1 g/kg
Triethylamine ≤ 2g/kg
Formic acid ≤ 4 g/kg
Glyphosine (N,N-bis(phosphonomethyl)glycine, glyphosine) ≤ 3 g/kg
Next steps
The Appeals Committee is expected to initiate another review of the draft in early November. If a qualified majority vote for or against is still not obtained at that meeting, the EC will make its own decision based on the information it has. Combined with the current positive attitude of the EC, if no opinion is reached at the November meeting, the result of glyphosate being approved in the EC decision is worth imagining.
