Spain: The main OPAs form an alliance that defends the renewal of the authorization of glyphosate
The Agricultural Professional Organizations (OPAs) at national and general level ASAJA and UPA, Agro-alimentary Cooperatives of Spain, the Spanish Federation of Producers Exporters of Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Living Plants (FEPEX) and the Spanish Association of Conservation Agriculture / Soils Living (AEAC.SV), together with representatives of thousands of farmers, farmers, cooperatives, entrepreneurs and exporters of the Spanish agricultural sector, have formed the alliance ALAS – Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, to express support for the model of agriculture Sustainable intensification of production and renewal of the authorization of glyphosate for the maximum period authorized in Community regulations, justified by scientific criteria regarding their safety and use, environmental and economic and productive criteria.
The entities of the agricultural production sector members of ALAS have signed a manifesto in defense of glyphosate as a tool for the sustainability of the agricultural sector
Since the alliance has requested meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) and the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Congress of Deputies to request their support before the next decision of the European Commission on the renewal of authorization of glyphosate in the Community territorial area.
The objective of this alliance is to defend the tools and technologies that contribute to the sustainability of agriculture, taking into account scientific, environmental and economic criteria
From ALAS, therefore, a purely scientific and technical analysis is demanded as regards the use of any product used in agriculture for its approval or renewal, avoiding dogmatisms and simplifications.
As it is argued from this alliance: “it must only be the scientific criterion that guides the decisions of the Commission when approving or refusing an authorization or renewal of an active substance, including glyphosate”
Members of the alliance agreed that “not having glyphosate would create serious disturbances in several EU agricultural sectors”, which would “jeopardize the competitiveness of Spanish and European farmers”.
The process of renewal of glyphosate in the European Union is currently under way. Before the end of 2017, the European Commission must decide on the renewal of the marketing authorization for this active substance, used for more than 40 years in agriculture and free of any patent.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European agency responsible for issuing scientific advice on food safety and its production processes, concluded in a report published in November 2015 that “it is unlikely that Glyphosate poses a carcinogenic risk to humans and the evidence does not support classification with respect to its carcinogenic potential”, adding that “glyphosate does not exhibit mutagenic properties, and has no toxic effect on fertility, reproduction Or embryonic development”.
Regulatory agencies of Member States of the Union, such as the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory bodies which include Canada, Japan and Australia.
The Secretary of Agriculture of the UPA and representative of this organization in ALAS, Ignacio Senovilla, pointed out that “the agricultural activity is highly supervised and its production techniques, perfectly regulated and subjected to the most rigorous controls”.
Farmers and ranchers, as indicated by ALAS, are the most interested in being able to guarantee safe production conditions, respectful of the environment, animal welfare and the animal environment in order to be able to offer to the consumers products of first quality and maximum health guarantees, and contribute to soil conservation, water quality and biodiversity.
Download manifesto in support of the use of glyphosate for sustainable agriculture
Source: UPA
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