Germany’s federal government plans to ban use of the herbicide glyphosate at the end of 2023. The move is part of a plan to protect insects and biodiversity approved today by the German cabinet decided on Wednesday in Berlin.
The plan also calls for the systematic reduction in glyphosate use starting in 2020.
Germany’s chemical industry trade association VCI (Frankfurt) contends that the resolution is contrary to European law, which states that authorization of active ingredients in plant protection products takes place at European level.
The 31 December 2023 date is when approval for glyphosate expires across the European Union unless individual states renew it.
A premature fixing of Germany’s position without taking scientific evaluation through the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA; Parma, Italy) into account would weaken the scientific- and rules-based authorization process for plant protection products, according to VCI.
“The federal government is on a collision course with European law and in the scientific evaluation of active substances for plant protection products,” says Utz Tillmann, VCI managing director. “The decision of the cabinet means a huge loss of planning security. The economy must be able to count on a reliable framework,” Tillmann says.
Bayer AG faces lawsuits from more than 10,000 plaintiffs in the United States claiming exposure to glyphosate and alleging injures, including cancer. Bayer, which maintains that glyphosate is safe, inherited the liability with its acquisition of Monsanto last year. Monsanto introduced glyphosate in 1974.
By Michael Ravenscroft
Source: Chemical Week
3M and Dow have announced they are cutting thousands of roles from their global workforces in response to economic pressures. Dow has said it will cut 2,000 jobs across its global workforce (around 5%) in a bid to save US$1bn in 2023. The company says it will also cut costs by shutting down “select assets”, though it did not note where it would halt operations.
Sweden’s state mining firm has discovered what could be Europe’s largest rare earths deposit, and says it could help the bloc reduce its reliance on imports of minerals needed to manufacture clean technologies and meet climate targets.
Henkel and Avantium have been partners since 2019, when Henkel joined the PEFerence consortium. This consortium of partners, coordinated by Avantium, aims to establish an innovative supply chain for FDCA and PEF (polyethylene furanoate).
