Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1585. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position with regard to glyphosate following recent decisions in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25939/16]
View answerGlyphosate is a non-selective systemic herbicide first commercialised in the mid-1970s and is registered worldwide. It is used in agriculture, forestry and industrial settings as well as home and garden situations.
An evaluation of glyphosate was performed by Germany and peer reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority and Member State experts. This review clearly identified safe uses and considered a recent review conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation which concluded that a carcinogenic potential existed in relation to glyphosate. However, as regulatory authorities both inside and outside the EU have not all agreed with this IARC conclusion, and considering that the European Chemicals Agency have still to conclude their own review of glyphosate, it was considered more appropriate to extend the existing approval of glyphosate until December 2017. This will allow sufficient time and space for all outcomes to be considered before deciding on a further period of approval.
Until this happens my Department has taken a few very precautionary measures in an attempt to allay any concerns the general public may have. These measures include the removal of certain products containing a particular co-formulant from the market place, as well as disallowing the pre-harvest use of glyphosate on crops which may enter the food chain (milling wheat, malting barley, etc.).
