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Food, Farming, Fisheries
Food Safety

Glyphosate

Status of glyphosate in the EU

Glyphosate is currently approved as an active substance in the EU until 15 December 2033 and its use is subject to certain conditions and restrictions.

Until that date, Plant Protection Products (PPPs) containing glyphosate can be authorised by national authorities following a full evaluation of their safety and efficacy.

What is Glyphosate

Glyphosate:

  • is a chemical substance contained in Plant Protection Products (‘pesticide’) that are used in agriculture and horticulture as a herbicide to control undesired plants (‘weeds’)
  • is one of the most used and the most extensively studied pesticides in the world.

Plant Protection Products (PPPs) containing glyphosate:

  • are typically applied before crops are sown to control weeds and therefore facilitate better growth of crops by eliminating competing plants
  • eliminate or limit the use of ploughing machines, which reduces soil erosion and carbon emissions, because weeds can be removed without moving the soil (as zero-tillage farming)
  • may also be used in garden care and forestry
  • may be used in non-cultivated areas such as railways to ensure the safety of the train traffic
  • is sometimes used as a pre-harvest treatment to regulate plant growth and ripening; however, uses for desiccation to control the time point of harvest or to optimise threshing are not permitted in the EU.

Why was the approval of glyphosate renewed in 2023

Glyphosate has been assessed 3 times in the EU. The first assessment resulted in initial approval of glyphosate in the EU in July 2002. The second assessment, which was carried out between 2012 and 2017, led to the first renewal of approval.

The most recent assessment, was carried out between 2019 and 2023 by Member State Competent Authorities, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and showed that there is currently no scientific or legal justification for a ban. This led to the renewal of approval of glyphosate in 2023. 

Under the conditions of approval and by following good agricultural practices, glyphosate is considered not to pose any harmful effects on human health or unacceptable effects on the environment.

The EU approval does not allow its indiscriminate use. Member States:

  • are responsible for the authorisation and use on their territories of plant protection products containing active substances. 
  • must ensure that the conditions and restrictions set in the EU approval of glyphosate are followed and may implement further conditions and restrictions as appropriate.

The Commission can review the approval of glyphosate at any time, if scientifically valid evidence shows that the approval criteria laid down in EU law are no longer met.

If producers wish to renew the approval beyond 15 December 2033, they must submit an application for renewal by 15 December 2030 at the latest, in accordance with the rules on the renewal of approval of active substances (Implementing Regulation 2020/1740).

European Citizens' Initiative on glyphosate

On Friday 6 October the European Commission officially received the submission of the 4th successful European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). By supporting the 'Stop Glyphosate' European Citizens' Initiative, over 1 million citizens from at least 7 Member States have called on the European Commission "to propose to Member States a ban on glyphosate, to reform the pesticide approval procedure, and to set EU-wide mandatory reduction targets for pesticide use".

The European Commission met with the organisers on 23 October 2017.

The organisers presented the citizens’ initiative at a public hearing in the European Parliament on 20 November 2017.

12 December 2017: the Commission adopted its response to the ECI (also see Annex).

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