Lobbyists working for U.S.-based Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) have reportedly been banned from entering the European parliament after the multinational said it would not attend a hearing into allegations of regulatory interference. 

This is the first time members of European parliament (MEPs) had used new rules to block access for companies that ignore a summons to attend parliamentary inquiries or hearings, according to The Guardian.

Monsanto officials will now be unable to meet MEPs, attend committee meetings or use digital resources on parliament premises in Brussels or Strasbourg, the publication reported.

The leaders of all major parliamentary blocks backed the ban in a vote on Thursday morning, although a formal process still reportedly needs to be worked through.

A joint public hearing on Oct. 11 is expected to hear allegations that Monsanto unduly influenced regulatory studies into the safety of glyphosate, a key ingredient in its best-selling Roundup herbicide.

In a statement posted on the Greens party website, president Philippe Lamberts said: "Those who ignore the rules of democracy also lose their rights as a lobbyist in the European Parliament."

"US corporations must also accept the democratic control function of the parliament. Monsanto cannot escape this.

"There remain many uncertainties in the assessment of the pesticide glyphosate. Monsanto has to face the questions of parliamentarians and should not hinder the clarification process."

Monsanto's letter to European Parliament

In a letter sent to MEPs dated August 29, Monsanto said it did "not feel the discussion as proposed is an appropriate forum to consider these issues."

"That being said, we refute the allegations recently made by anti-agriculture pressure groups that Monsanto unduly influenced scientific research on the safety of glyphosate," vice president of corporate affairs Philip Miller said in the letter.

He later went on to say the company had "observed with increasing alarm the politicisation of the EU procedure on the renewal of glyphosate.

In a statement sent to Fresh Fruit Portal on Thursday afternoon, Monsanto spokesperson Samuel Murphey said he could not speak for the parliament, but provided background on why the company had decided not to attend the hearing.

“Forty years of safe use and the conclusions of EFSA, ECHA, the BfR and every regulatory body in the world confirm that glyphosate is not carcinogenic," he said.

"We chose not to participate in an event with the likely outcome of undermining the scientific credibility of Europe’s regulatory bodies.

"Glyphosate meets or exceeds all requirements for renewal on the basis of European legislation and regulation.”

A decision is expected later this year regarding the licensing of glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer by a World Health Organization (WHO) affiliated panel.