The European Commission announced renewal of the authorization for the use of glyphosate, a widely known herbicide with applications in agriculture, forestry, industrial weed control, lawn, garden, and aquatic environments. 

Glyphosate first came under fire in 2015, when the World Health Organization warned about possible carcinogenic risks. 

Then, a report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) concluded after investigating for two years that there was no scientific evidence to classify the product as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction. Thus, its license was extended for another five years in 2017.

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Now, the European Union's food safety agency (EFSA) carried out another impact study on the level of risk of the herbicide for the health of humans, animals and the environment.

EFSA experts concluded that "there is no critical area of concern. Critical is defined as affecting all proposed uses of the pesticide under evaluation, e.g. pre-sowing uses, post-harvest uses, etc."

However, the European Commission is advising "strict conditions" and "accompanying measures" to mitigate risks in areas sprayed with glyphosate. For example, special nozzles will be required to minimize the dispersion when spraying the product.

In addition, member states will be able to establish monitoring requirements when granting authorizations, such as paying attention to possible impact on small mammals as well as indirect effects on biodiversity, and considering mitigation or restriction measures if necessary.

European governments will analyze this information and on October 12 and 13 vote on EFSA’s proposal.