Malta is in favour of reauthorising the “probable human carcinogen” glyphosate for use in pesticides, changing its position from an abstention at EU level earlier this year, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Pesticide regulators from all EU countries met last week for a crucial vote on a European Commission proposal to extend the authorisation of glyphosate, a common ingredient in weed killers, by another nine years.
Malta was among 19 countries in favour of re-authorisation of the substance, which is considered a “probable human carcinogen” by the World Health Organisation cancer agency, in a tentative vote last Thursday, according to information from Brussels-based lobbyists.
A final decision, however, was postponed due to opposition by France and Italy, as well as a number of abstentions, which meant a qualified majority could not be reached.
The vote had already been postponed in an earlier meeting on March 8, when Malta was included in the list of probable abstentions. It is not clear what prompted Malta’s change in position.
Questions sent to the Environment Ministry and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture yesterday remained unanswered by the time of print.
The government and the national pesticide regulator have both consistently refused to state Malta’s position when questioned by this newspaper. The regulator is understood to have recommended against re-authorisation although the final decision rests with the government.
I stand firm in my belief that public health is not negotiable and must not be compromised by any commercial interest
Environmentalists have long called for the use of glyphosate to be suspended under the EU’s precautionary principle, which states that potentially hazardous protects should not be used unless they can be proven to be safe.
The European Commission’s European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), however, published a report in November stating that the chemical was “unlikely” to cause cancer, paving the way for re-approval. The scientific basis of the report has been heavily contested.
A further study by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation concluded that the chemical was “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet”.
The panel behind the study has since become embroiled in controversy over financial links to multinational corporation Monsanto, a major lobbyist for glyphosate.
Tests carried out by Friends of the Earth Malta in 2013 found that nine out of 10 people tested in Malta had traces of glyphosate in their urine, which was the highest rate in Europe.
A survey published last week by the Malta Organic Agriculture Movement said that 25 local councils have discontinued the use of glyphosate in their localities, although another 40 did not respond to questions.
Labour MEP Miriam Dalli has also spoken out in favour of an outright ban, and was the only Maltese MEP not to vote in favour of a European Parliament resolution calling for a seven-year re-authorisation last month.
“Ultimately we are speaking about the health of our citizens, and this is another case where I stand firm in my belief that public health is not negotiable and must not be compromised by any commercial interest,” she told this newspaper at the time.
If no decision is taken before June 30, glyphosate will no longer be authorised in the EU and member states will have to withdraw authorisations for all glyphosate-based products.
Politico reported yesterday that, following last week’s postponed vote, the Commission had given member countries until this evening or tomorrow at noon to decide whether to opt for a limited re-approval of one or two years, or to allow the current authorisation to expire.