BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) — The European Union is expected to extend approval next week for glyphosate, used in many herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, despite a dispute between EU and United Nations agencies over whether it causes cancer.
Experts from all 28 member states will hold a closed-door meeting on March 7-8 in Brussels and appear set to endorse a European Commission proposal to extend authorization of glyphosate for 15 years until 2031.
Two EU sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they expected approval.
Another diplomat said at least one big member state was undecided, but a block on approval was unlikely.
Ahead of the meeting, the European Food Safety Authority issued an opinion that glyphosate was unlikely to cause cancer. That conclusion was at odds with the view of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the difference between them has stoked a fierce debate.
