Is glyphosate banned in the EU due to its harmful effect, or not?

Last Updated : 05 August 2024

In Europe and around the world, the safety and regulatory status of glyphosate, a commonly employed herbicide, remain subjects of ongoing debate. Despite its effectiveness in weed control and utility in modern agriculture, concerns persist about its presence in food and potential health risks. While conflicting conclusions emerge from studies on its safety, the European Commission has opted not to ban glyphosate, extending its authorisation for another decade in 2023.

The topic of glyphosate is explored in more detail in this article.

What is glyphosate?

Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide, primarily known for its effectiveness in killing weeds and unwanted plants. It works by inhibiting a specific enzyme pathway that is essential for plant growth, leading to the eventual death of the targeted plants. Glyphosate has been extensively used in agriculture, forestry, urban areas, and home gardening. It was originally produced by the US agrochemical company Monsanto (now Bayer) in 1975 under the brand name ‘Roundup’ but is now manufactured by various other companies as well.

Which foods contain glyphosate?

Since glyphosate is widely used in agriculture, its residues sometimes end up in food products. Traces of the herbicide are most frequently detected in soybean and maize.¹ Glyphosate residues have also been identified in other crops, including fruits, vegetables, and grains, albeit at lower levels compared to soybean and maize.¹ Lentils, beans, and wheat have shown higher percentages of detections in European surveys, with some samples exceeding maximum residue limits (MRLs).¹ Maximum residue levels indicate the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food (or feed) when pesticides are applied correctly. MRLs found in food must be safe for consumers and as low as possible. However, exceeding an MRL does not automatically mean that the food is unsafe. Instead, if residues exceed the MRL, it could indicate non-compliance with the approved usage instructions, but it does not necessarily imply an immediate health risk. To assess the potential health risk, the sum of pesticide residues across all consumed crops is compared to health-based guidance values such as the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), which represents the amount of a pesticide that can be ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk.¹ The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set the ADI for glyphosate at 0.5 mg/kg of body weight per day.⁵ Based on a modelling study of different dietary patterns, the highest long-term (chronic) exposure to glyphosate resides was calculated to be 9.1% of the ADI. Since this is well below the ADI, EFSA concluded that a long-term intake of residues of glyphosate is unlikely to present a public health concern.

Compared to lentils, beans, and wheat, fruits and vegetables generally exhibited lower glyphosate detections, often below MRLs.¹ Additionally, animal products such as milk, meat, and eggs are not expected to contain significant glyphosate residues.¹ This is because glyphosate is rapidly excreted via the kidneys instead of accumulating in tissues of animals.¹

The presence of glyphosate in processed foods can be influenced by factors such as ingredient sourcing and processing techniques. Removing the outer layers of grains, fruits, or vegetables during processing is likely to lead to a reduction in residue levels if they are concentrated on these parts of the crop.² However, little is known about the impact of other processing techniques such as washing, milling, and cooking.² Soy products like soy sauce have been found to contain glyphosate residues, while breakfast cereals, infant foods, and even honey and sugary syrups have shown varying levels of contamination.¹

In the European Union, foods are tested for various pesticides, including glyphosate. Generally, if a food contains more than 0.01 mg/kg glyphosate, it cannot be sold to consumers.³

Is glyphosate safe?

The safety of glyphosate is a complex issue that has sparked considerable debate and research. Glyphosate formulations available in the European market are generally considered to have low toxicity, which means they are not classified among the most hazardous pesticides.⁴ Regardless, concerns about glyphosate's safety have arisen in recent years, particularly about its potential to cause cancer.⁴ Various studies and institutions have presented conflicting conclusions about its safety.⁴ Based on a risk assessment study conducted on the basis of data collected from various EU Member States, EFSA concluded in 2015 that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer in humans.⁵The report also highlighted various gaps in existing data and acknowledged that the risks associated with glyphosate were complex and dependent on many factors, some of which were not known at the time. In contrast, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in the same year, based on limited evidence in humans and sufficient evidence from animal studies.^4,6 However, the IARC carried out a hazard assessment, a process for assessing whether a chemical can cause cancer, not whether it is likely to under real-use conditions.

The fundamental reason for the current discrepancy between the EFSA and IARC conclusions is their different approach in assessing the potential hazard or risks associated with the use of glyphosate. The IARC considered both glyphosate as an active substance and all glyphosate-based formulations, regardless of the rest of their composition, EFSA's scientific assessment considered only glyphosate. This is important because, although some studies suggest that certain glyphosate-based formulations may be genotoxic (i.e., may cause DNA damage), other plant protection products with only glyphosate as active substance do not show this effect. It is therefore likely that the genotoxic effects observed in some glyphosate-based formulations are more directly related to the other constituents or "co-formulants" of the plant protection product than to glyphosate itself. In the evaluation carried out by EFSA, studies conducted with glyphosate were more relevant than studies conducted with formulated products containing constituents other than glyphosate, especially when these other constituents could not be clearly identified.

The disagreement between EFSA and IARC led to further examination by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment, which agreed with EFSA's conclusion that glyphosate is not carcinogenic.^4,7 However, the controversy surrounding glyphosate's safety continues to fuel scientific debate, with differing opinions stemming from variations in study methodologies, interpretations of results, and focus areas.

Is glyphosate banned in the EU?

No, glyphosate is not banned in the EU. In November 2023, based on the assessment provided by EFSA, ECHA, and Assessment Group of Glyphosate (AGG)⁸, the European Commission decided to extend glyphosate's authorisation for 10 years until 15 December 2033, granted with a few new conditions and restrictions on its use.⁹

However, member countries are permitted to apply different rules at national levels. Currently, no EU country has banned glyphosate outright, although some, such as Austria, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany have introduced partial bans, prohibiting its use in certain areas. Various non-governmental organisations and activists from various member countries have appealed to the European Commission to reconsider its decision.

When deciding whether to ban glyphosate or not, both its benefits and drawbacks must be considered. The European Commission decided to extend glyphosate’s authorisation because based on the assessment made by EFSA of the impact of glyphosate on the health of humans, animals and the environment, no critical areas of concern were identified.¹⁰ However, the Commission will take action to revoke the approval if ECHA or EFSA determine that glyphosate no longer meets the requirements for approval in light of any new information.¹¹

A total ban on glyphosate could also lead to issues for farmers, such as lower crop yields and increased production costs. Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that helps control weeds efficiently, can be used as a broad-spectrum weed control, and its absence could force farmers to switch to alternative herbicides, which might be more toxic or less effective.¹² This highlights the complexity of the issue and why regulatory decisions are particularly challenging.

Can glyphosate kill trees?

No, glyphosate does not directly kill trees. Glyphosate works by blocking the shikimic acid pathway in weeds, which inhibits the synthesis of essential amino acids like tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine.8 This leads to stunted growth, loss of green coloration, leaf wrinkling, tissue damage, and eventually death in the targeted plants within 7-21 days.¹³ Glyphosate formulations have been found to have limited harmful effects on microorganisms, but they can exhibit toxic effects on non-target aquatic and terrestrial organisms, especially due to certain surfactants.10 Therefore, while glyphosate itself may not directly kill trees, its impact on the ecosystem through its effects on other organisms could indirectly affect trees and other plants.

References

1. Vicini, J. L., Jensen, P. K., Young, B. M., & Swarthout, J. T. (2021). Residues of glyphosate in food and dietary exposure. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(5), 5226-5257.
2. Xu, J., Smith, S., Smith, G., Wang, W., & Li, Y. (2019). Glyphosate contamination in grains and foods: An overview. Food control, 106, 106710.
3. European Commission (2024). EU Pesticide Residue Database. (Accessed April 8, 2024).
4. Fogliatto, S., Ferrero, A., & Vidotto, F. (2020). Current and future scenarios of glyphosate use in Europe: Are there alternatives?. Advances in agronomy, 163, 219-278.
5. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). (2015). Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate. EFSA Journal, 13(11), 4302.
6. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. (2017). Some organophosphate insecticides and herbicides. (Accessed April 8, 2024).
7. European Chemicals Agency (2024). Glyphosate. (Accessed April 8, 2024).
8. European Commission (2023). Food Safety – Glyphosate. (Accessed April 8, 2024).
9. European Commission (2023). No qualified majority reached by Member States to renew or reject the approval of glyphosate. Accessed May 24, 2024.
10. Euronews (2024). Commission open to revisit glyphosate decision pending research. Accessed May 24, 2024.
11. Finger, R., Möhring, N., & Kudsk, P. (2023). Glyphosate ban will have economic impacts on European agriculture but effects are heterogenous and uncertain. Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1), 286.
12. Meftaul, I. M., Venkateswarlu, K., Dharmarajan, R., Annamalai, P., Asaduzzaman, M., Parven, A., & Megharaj, M. (2020). Controversies over human health and ecological impacts of glyphosate: Is it to be banned in modern agriculture?. Environmental Polluti