The assessment of the impact of glyphosate on the health of humans, animals and the environment did not identify critical areas of concern.

On 6 July 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced [link] the conclusion of the peer review of the updated renewal assessment report (RAR) prepared by the Assessment Group on Glyphosate (AGG)*. 

The Glyphosate Renewal Group (GRG) welcomes EFSA’s Conclusions, which did not identify any critical areas of concern in its peer review of the risk assessment of the active substance glyphosate concerning the risk it poses to humans and animals or the environment.

These final scientific conclusions are consistent with assessments of leading health regulators around the world, as well as the overwhelming evidence from nearly 50 years of science. 

The completion of EFSA´s Conclusions is a crucial milestone in the ongoing re-approval process. The outcome follows an extremely robust regulatory evaluation process, one of the most stringent in the world. Therefore, the GRG is of the view that EFSA´s Conclusions lay the foundation for a successful re-approval of glyphosate in the EU.

The Conclusions are now made available to the European Commission, the Member States, and the applicants – together forming the GRG. They will be made publicly available within the next two weeks. 

As the next step, the European Commission will analyse EFSA’s Conclusions and the RAR produced by the AGG. It will then put forward a renewal report and a draft regulation to the Member States proposing a renewal or non-renewal of the authorisation of glyphosate. 

The representatives of the EU Member States will vote on the draft regulation in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF).  

The 2020 glyphosate renewal dossier contained over 180,000 pages and 1,500 scientific studies. It is the most comprehensive dossier of its kind ever submitted to the European authorities.

The GRG has full confidence in the process and trusts the decision is a science-based one. The group remains committed to complying and contributing to all relevant aspects of the renewal process.

* The Assessment Group consists of the following regulatory authorities of four European Member States: ANSES (France), Nebih (Hungary), ctgb (the Netherlands) and KEMI (Sweden).