Reports on the glyphosate industry

28.4.2016

Question for written answer E-003458-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Soledad Cabezón Ruiz (S&D)

Glyphfosate is the most widely used active substance in plant health products in Europe. In March 2015 the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found that glyphosate was probably carcinogenic for humans. Three months later, the EU’s official risk assessment, conducted by EFSA and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), reached the opposite conclusion, on the basis of three industry-sponsored carcinogenicity studies conducted in rats and mice.

The IARC does not have access to the three studies, which means that they cannot be freely scrutinised scientifically, despite the fact that EFSA insists they played a major part in its decision. Neither has the Commission offered any verifiable proof that their disclosure would be prejudicial to the industry, which is a legal obligation under the regulation on Pesticides (Article 63(1)).

Given the crucial importance of this issue, in view of the recent proposal for a Commission implementing act extending the authorisation for glyphosate for a further 15 years, and since there are indications that it may have adverse effects for human health, can the Commission explain why these three reports have not been made public?