Green demand instant glyphosate ban - over 121,000 supporters!

Green demand instant glyphosate ban - over 121,000 supporters!

On April 4, 2025, the public expert hearing on glyphosate took place in the Austrian parliament, in which the health risks of the application of the controversial plant protection product were also discussed. Olga Voglauer, agricultural spokeswoman for the Greens, called for a quick prohibition of glyphosate, since both farmers: inside and professional users: in the inside there is a significant health risk. This corresponds to the opinion of 121,734 supporters of the referendum "Prohibit glyphosate!", Which was already brought in in the National Council ots.at reported.

The WHO has been classifying glyphosate since 2015 as "probably carcinogenic", while studies show possible connections between the material and Parkinson's and other health impairments. Biochemist Helmut Burtscher damage was concerned about the toxicological profile of glyphosate and criticized the admission proceedings of European authorities as "scientifically non-durable". The Global2000 climate protection organization has filed a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice to draw attention to these risks.

Health risks in focus

In 2024, “Parkinson's syndrome was recognized by pesticides” as a professional disease in 2024, which further fueled the discussion about glyphosate. Voglauer was disappointed with the rejection of an application by the Greens, which called for an immediate ban on glyphosate and Pfas pesticides. However, the government factions are against such a ban and support the further approval of the active ingredient.

The argument for the harmlessness of glyphosate is primarily supported by various international regulatory authorities. Loud glyphosate.eu If the US environmental authority EPA has evaluated numerous studies on the carcinogenicity of glyphosate and confirms that there are no worrying risks for health. Similarly, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Member States came to the conclusion that glyphosate can be used safely.

Controversy and scientific reviews

Nevertheless, the assessment remains controversial, especially since the IARC, one of the four WHO agencies, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic". This assessment contradicts the results of other international institutions such as the international program for chemical security and JMPR, which does not classify glyphosate as carcinogenic. The correspondence between different scientific assessments illustrates the challenges in the regulation and evaluation of such substances.

In Germany, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is responsible for the detailed examination of glyphosate and has analyzed over 1000 relevant studies. These exams show that glyphosate does not represent a carcinogenic risk for humans when used according to intended use and also has no developmental or teratogenic properties, such as bfr.bund.de determined.

In view of the conflicting perspectives, the debate about glyphosate is still intensively conducted. While the environmental and health organizations are calling for an immediate ban, many regulatory authorities represent a harmless perspective based on extensive studies and analyzes. Ultimately, public opinions and political decisions could be decisive for how the regulation of glyphosate will develop in the coming years.