Why Europe Is Divided Over the Weedkiller Glyphosate

The European Union has decided to renew its approval for glyphosate — the world’s most widely used weedkiller and a key ingredient in Bayer AG’s popular Roundup — for another 10 years, subject to some new conditions. But in a sign of the controversy surrounding the issue, the decision fell to its executive body, the European Commission, after member states twice failed to muster sufficient votes to either approve or reject the proposal. The contentious debate pits the farming and chemical industries against activists saying the substance poses environmental and health risks.

In use for almost five decades, glyphosate is present in hundreds of pesticides. Agriculture accounts for the bulk of global demand, though home gardeners use it too. The chemical is mainly used to combat weeds but also helps crops dry and ripen. The dead weeds are no longer available to insects and other small animals as a habitat and source of food, which affects biodiversity. As usage has soared, traces of the chemical have been found in foods including breakfast cereals and cookies, while residues have also been detected in water, soil, drinks and human urine. Glyphosate accounted for one-third of the total herbicide market in the EU in 2017, the most recent year available.