CropLife America pleased with European agency's ruling on glyphosate

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released a review on glyphosate, a herbicide that has been found to be safe for humans.

The new review is welcomed by CropLife America, a United States trade association that represents the crop protections industry. The glyphosate herbicide is widely used by growers in the U.S.

“This is a crucial and science-based peer review that raises important questions about the selective inclusion and interpretation of data by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that led to an inconsistent and erroneous conclusion earlier this year,” CropLife America CEO and President Jay Vroom said. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also underway with a new risk assessment for glyphosate, which [CropLife America] eagerly awaits.”

CropLife America supports science-based regulation and the risk assessment method used by many regulators but does not support the limited studies and hazard-only evaluation process which IARC uses in their studies. IARC has recently made claims that everyday items, like meats and coffee, may be carcinogens that are harmful to humans.

The EFSA is the keystone of European Union risk assessment with food and feed safety. It provides independent scientific advice on existing and emerging risks with help from national authorities and consultation with stakeholders.