France to vote against EU extending licence for glyphosate
A quarter of all glyphosate in France is used in the wine industry, despite it accounting for only six percent of the country's agriculture. Glyphosate, which the UN says causes cancer, is a key ingredient in Monsanto's weed-killer Roundup.
A farmer holds up a barley seed, showing the impact of using the weed-killer glyphosate on his farm in Brentwood, Britain, November 7, 2017.
France will vote against a five-year extension of the licence for weed-killer glyphosate that the European Commission will propose on Monday, a junior French environment minister has said.
The decision makes renewal more difficult for the product, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has said causes cancer.
Glyphosate is a key ingredient in Monsanto Co's top-selling weed-killer Roundup.
Fourteen out of 28 countries voted in favour of extending the licence when the EU voted on the issue on November 9 with nine against and five abstentions.
Under EU rules, 16 favourable votes are needed as a "qualified majority" for renewal before authorisation expires on December 15.
TRT World's Elena Casas has this story on the issue and how it affects France's winemaking region.
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