The European Union is closely following the Monsanto Roundup litigation because evidence unearthed in the litigation will likely inform a key decision on whether or not glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, should be licensed throughout the continent.
This week, an official from France’s environmental ministry told the media that France will vote against relicensing glyphosate in the EU. “France will vote against the re-authorization of glyphosate due to the doubts that remain about its dangerousness,” a ministry official said.
Earlier this summer, European Health, and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis issued a statement indicating that glyphosate will only be relicensed if a majority of EU member states provide sufficient support.
The European Commission, which serves as the EU’s cabinet government, voted last year on a proposal to relicense glyphosate for 10 years. The vote failed to produce a clear majority, with Germany, Italy, and other countries abstaining. In the absence of a majority voting bloc, a temporary license of 18 months was granted. The temporary license is set to expire at the end of December.
Before that happens, the European Commission will convene again in October to decide whether or not to issue the 10-year license for glyphosate. If other member states follow France’s lead, glyphosate could be in serious jeopardy in Europe.
EU Parliament Members Question Glyphosate Assessment
Since the Commission’s last vote, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) released reports concluding that glyphosate should not be considered a carcinogen. However, these reports (the EFSA report in particular) were recently called into question by several Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
In a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria, MEPs Bart Staes of Belgium, Heidi Hautala of Finland, Benedek Javor of Hungary and Michele Rivasi of France expressed “strong doubts on the validity of the EU agencies’ assessments and [they] have strong reasons to believe that EFSA, in particular, has been too dependent on industry-based data and sealed scientific reports, notably from Monsanto, for their assessment of glyphosate.”
The letter also brought up the possibility of former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official Jess Rowland intervening in EFSA’s glyphosate assessment. Rowland, who allegedly colluded with Monsanto while at EPA, provided information to EFSA that downplayed the significance of a study that showed cancer among mice exposed to glyphosate.
When word of Rowland’s intervention in the EFSA assessment surfaced, the agency told the press that it double-checked Rowlands’ information before deciding to disregard the glyphosate study. But when requested to prove this with documentation on how the agency performed the double-checks, EFSA had no documents to show.
Europe Paying Close Attention to Monsanto Roundup Lawsuits in the U.S.
EFSA’s assessment on glyphosate contrasts with the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) findings. In March of 2015, IARC issued a report concluding that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen.
The IARC report also found limited evidence linking glyphosate exposure to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This finding became a catalyst for individuals throughout the U.S. to file lawsuits against Monsanto, alleging exposure to Roundup caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman represents hundreds of victims from all across America who are seeking justice by filing Roundup cancer lawsuits against Monsanto.
As of August 2017, there are four different venues for the Monsanto Roundup litigation:
- The federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) before U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria in Northern California.
- St. Louis, Missouri Circuit Court. Most of the cases against Monsanto regarding Roundup are pending in St. Louis Circuit Court.
If you were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup weed killer, it is in your best interest to speak with an experienced attorney about your case. The Roundup cancer attorneys at Baum Hedlund have established themselves as outspoken leaders in this fight for justice. Hundreds of people have already retained us to file claims on their behalf.
To talk with an attorney about your claim, contact us or call (855) 948-5098 today for a free case evaluation.
