Germany Temporarily Lifts Its Total Ban on Glyphosate
On December 27, Germany’s BMEL published emergency regulations on glyphosate, which suspends the total ban on glyphosate and regulate existing restrictions on its use, according to ECHEMI. The Act will come into effect on January 1, 2024 and remain in effect for six months until June 30, 2024, when previous restrictions and sanctions on the use of glyphosate will also expire.
Under the Plant Protection Application Regulation, the previous government in 2021 provided for a complete ban on glyphosate from January 1, 2024, and a renewal of approval for the active ingredient would put its national ban in violation of European law, BMEL said. Due to the re-approval, the adjustment is necessary by the end of the year at the latest, and the legal situation can only be adjusted by emergency decree this year in order to avoid the initiation of infringement proceedings by the European Commission and litigation by manufacturers and users at national level.
The European Commission’s decision to approve the use of glyphosate until 2033 was wrong, and the decision was not supported by the votes of EU countries. German plant protection laws must now be adapted to enable farmers to plan safely and avoid damage to biodiversity. It will continue with current restrictions on glyphosate use, such as a ban in water conservation areas. The next step will be to amend the Plant Protection Application Regulations in accordance with the Coalition Government agreement.
On November 28, 2023, the European Union published a 10-year extension of the regulation for glyphosate, extending the active ingredient’s EU-wide approval period until December 15, 2033. But the regulation did not have the support of a “qualified majority” of EU member states, or at least 15 member states (representing about 65% of the population).
Get The Newsletter Today!
