Calls for Ban on Glyphosate as Pre-Harvest Drying Agent
Campaigners have called for a ban on the use of the weedkiller glyphosate to dry crops at harvest time due to concerns about its potential impact on human health.
While some farmers argue that the chemical is necessary, the Soil Association has warned that using glyphosate as a drying agent results in residues remaining in foods such as bread, breakfast cereals, and beer.
Several scientific studies have suggested possible links between glyphosate use and cancer as well as other illnesses.
Government Consultation and Regulatory Context
The UK government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is set to launch a consultation soon on whether to permit glyphosate use on crops beyond December 2026, when the current licence for the chemical is due to expire.
In 2023, the European Union banned the use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent. Campaigners are now urging the UK government to implement a similar ban. However, glyphosate remains licensed for other uses in Europe.
On Wednesday, the Soil Association initiated a campaign to end glyphosate's use as a pre-harvest desiccant in the UK ahead of the HSE's consultation later this year.
Perspectives from Farmers and Industry
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, farmer and Riverford Organic Farmers founder Guy Singh-Watson clarified that the campaign does not seek a complete ban on glyphosate in the UK.
"Instead, the UK should ban the practice of spraying glyphosate 'onto crops just days before they're harvested, in the full knowledge that traces of that chemical are going to end up in our bread, in our breakfast cereals, in our beer.'"
He described the use of glyphosate to dry crops as a "relatively modern practice" and contested claims that it is essential for growing wheat.
"To say that it's essential to the growing of wheat, I'm afraid, is... not true."
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup weedkiller, was originally developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. Its patent expired in 2000, and the chemical is now produced by various manufacturers.
Bayer, the German biotech company that acquired Monsanto, has stated that no regulatory authority has classified glyphosate as carcinogenic.
Responding to this, Singh-Watson expressed skepticism about regulatory assurances.
"I don't have a lot of faith in the regulatory regime,"
he said, noting that many chemicals once approved for crop use have since been banned.
Government Position and Regulatory Review
The government maintains that glyphosate is strictly regulated and only authorised when evidence demonstrates its safety.
Glyphosate remains approved for use in Great Britain until December, following a ministerial extension to allow regulators time to review new data.
This summer, the HSE will conduct a two-month public consultation on whether to renew glyphosate's approval, considering any new scientific, technical, and regulatory evidence.
Farmers' Views on Glyphosate Use
Farmer Dave Bell, chair of the Voluntary Initiative for the use of Plant Protection, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that herbicides like glyphosate are essential to his farming practices.
"To promote and maintain soil health, and a good healthy rotation in my crops, I need to utilise glyphosate to reduce my wear and tear, reduce my reliance on other weed control, to reduce my carbon footprint,"
he explained.
"If I don't use glyphosate to ripen the standing crop before harvest, I have to use more diesel to burn, to dry the crop."
The National Farmers Union (NFU) and other farming organisations support continued use of glyphosate-based weedkillers, including as pre-harvest drying agents.
NFU deputy president Paul Tompkins described glyphosate as an "essential tool for our farmers and growers".
"It can be used on cereals to make harvesting easier, to control weeds, and reduce disease, and help produce sustainable and affordable food for all."
He added that regulatory bodies worldwide have consistently found glyphosate safe when used responsibly and expressed a desire for the UK review process to renew glyphosate approval for 15 years.
Scientific Assessments and Health Concerns
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans."
More recently, in March 2024, a group of international scientists reviewed new research published over the past decade and concluded that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) "harm human health and can cause cancer," according to their expert statement.
"The evidence that glyphosate and GBHs harm human health at levels of current use is now so strong that no additional delays in regulation of glyphosate can be justified,"
the statement reads.
Government Response
A government spokesperson said:
"Like all pesticides, glyphosate is subject to strict regulation in Great Britain and are only approved for use if the evidence shows that they won't harm human or animal health, and won't have unacceptable effects on the environment.
Our UK pesticides national action plan supports moves by farmers, growers and other land managers to minimise the use of pesticides and increase integrated pest management – a holistic and sustainable approach to pest, weed and disease control."
