Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 March 2019
482. Deputy Michael Harty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the impact on agriculture of the ban of a chemical (details supplied) introduced in France in January 2019; his plans to introduce a similar ban on the weedkiller here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11710/19]
View answerIn January of this year, the French authorities responded to a ruling of a French administrative tribunal in Lyon by removing the product “Roundup Pro 360” from its register of authorised plant protection products. The tribunal ruled that ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety) should have given more weight to potential safety risks when initially authorising the use of “Roundup Pro 360”. However, all other products containing glyphosate continue to be unaffected by the ruling and consequently the official register of approvals in France contains over 60 glyphosate containing products. This particular trade name, “Roundup Pro 360” has never been placed on the Irish market.
Regulatory decisions on the approval and use of pesticides are based on the scientific consensus view of all the relevant technical information from all sources. Regarding the use of plant protection products containing glyphosate in Ireland, I continue to be guided by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), who have both concluded, on the basis of extensive reviews involving public consultation, that glyphosate can be used safely without putting consumers or users at risk. This process guided the decision to renew the authorisation of Glyphosate within the European Union in 2017.
My Department will continue to monitor international peer-reviewed scientific evidence and the guidance provided by EFSA and ECHA.
