The Greek ministry of agriculture has officially approved the re-authorisation for five years, of the world’s most commonly used weedkiller, Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains glyphosate, a chemical substance accused of causing cancer. The ministry’s decision sees that the product will be allowed to be sold from 6 March 2018 up until 15 December 2023. This marks a change of stance for Greece, which was one of the nine EU countries which have been against the Union’s plan to re-authorise glyphosate, last year. Glyphosate has been the centre of controversy since it was classified as a probable cacinogen by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Monsanto has questioned this judgement and has since presented other researches which absolve glyphosate.
Monsanto, one of the world-leading agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology multinational corporations, has been synonymous with the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) industry. It has not only invented Roundup, but also the crops that benefit from the specific weedkiller’s use, a combination that makes Roundup a favourite in the farming industry. The IARC judgement has been welcomed by the anti-GMO movement, but EU voted for the approval of glyphosate use, largely thanks to the intervention of Germany, which had been abstaining from the debate. Six other EU member states, led by France, are reportedly willing to conduct scientific research on glyphosate, to be delivered during the 5-year re-extension. The research will conclude as to the potential risks of glyphosate use, but also look into alternatives.
In what Greece is specifically concerned, objections for the use of glyphosate are not limited to the health risks, nor to the GMO debate, but are extended to the weedkiller’s actual effectiveness, since it is deemed as unsuitable for rocky soils, such as the ones that make Greece’s morphology.