Glyphosate is not carcinogenic, EU report confirms

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup and many generic formulations, is not carcinogenic or toxic to reproduction, an assessment conducted by authorities from four European Union countries concludes. The assessment is part of the process to renew the authorization of glyphosate for use in the EU. The current authorization expires Dec. 15, 2022. The assessment is a starting point for further discussion among EU members and a peer-review process managed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). EFSA and ECHA plan to organize parallel public meetings in September to discuss the assessment. After ECHA publishes its opinion, EFSA will finalize and publish its assessment, which is expected in late 2022. The European Commission will then determine whether to renew glyphosate’s authorization. The commission granted a 5-year renewal for glyphosate in 2017, amid debate over a 2015 report from the World Health Organization’s cancer agency that deemed the chemical a probable carcinogen.