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The ecological transition of agriculture is one of the subjects of the COP28 which is currently being held in Dubai, as the use of fertilizers and weedkillers generates CO2 and is harmful to human health. We are looking at a particularly controversial pesticide: glyphosate.
The European Commission has just extended the authorization of glyphosate until 2033. It is based on a study by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) which ensures that it has not identified any “critical area of concern” in humans, animals and the environment, while recognizing a lack of data, even though this product has been classified by the World Health Organization as a probable carcinogen.
This Commission decision was taken in the absence of a qualified majority for or against Member States: in fact, out of the 27 Member States, 17 voted for the extension of the use of glyphosate, 3 against (l Austria, Croatia and Luxembourg), and 7 abstained (including France, Germany, Belgium and Italy).
The bad news for greener agriculture continued, since ten days ago, to everyone’s surprise, Parliament rejected a text which planned to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030.
Have we given up on reducing inputs accused of toxicity in our agriculture? The European right, which criticizes the lack of alternatives and the constraints that are too strong for the agricultural world, is in charge: does it want to unravel the Green Pact?
Program prepared by Sophie Samaille, Isabelle Romero and Perrine Desplats