Although the use of glyphosate on crops poses a food safety risk and its use should be curbed, completely banning the substance too early may lead to farmers using chemical alternatives that are just as harmful to human and environmental health, according to experts from Wageningen University and Research (WUR). The researchers also raise questions with the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA’s) recent risk assessment of glyphosate, which found “no critical health concerns” for humans, animals, or the environment.
The warning comes from Violette Geissen, Ph.D., WUR Professor of Soil Physics and Land Management, and Pieter de Wolf, M.Sc., WUR Senior Applied Researcher of Sustainable Agriculture. Dr. Geissen and De Wolf are participating in roundtable dialogues being held by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality (LNV) in response to the European Commission’s proposal to extend the approval for glyphosate for another ten years. EU member states must decide whether they support the proposal in the coming months.