Commission prolongs glyphosate licence by 18 months

The European Commission decided in June 2016 to extend the licence for glyphosate by 18 months, after member states failed to achieve a qualified majority in favour or against the EC's proposal.

Both NGOs and the industry criticised the Commission’s final decision on glyphosate, an active ingredient used in Monsanto’s RoundUp, the world’s most widely sold herbicide.

The licence was later amended with further restrictions, as the EU's Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed supported a proposal from the Commission to limit the use of glyphosate, including a ban on one co-formulant called POE-tallowamine.

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