Malta's position on the use of the potentially cancer-causing chemical glyphosate in pesticides is still unclear ahead of a crucial vote in May, as the European Commission seeks to extend its approval for the next 15 years. Labour MEP Miriam Dalli, however, has voted for a ban on the chemical in the European Parliament, despite the Maltese government so far refusing to state its position. The government was requested to give the European Commission its suggestions on the proposal by last Friday, but an Environment Ministry spokeswoman told the Times of Malta that it had not done so, as discussions were still ongoing. Glyphosate, a common ingredient in weed killers, is considered to be a "probable human carcinogen" by the World Health Organisation, and environmental NGOs have long called for its use to be suspended. Tests carried out by Friends of the Earth Malta in 2013 found that nine of 10 people tested in Malta had traces of glyphosate in their urine, the highest rate in Europe. The Commission's European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), however, published a report in November stating that the chemical was "unlikely" to cause cancer, paving the way for re-approval. The report was...
from timesofmalta.com http://ift.tt/25uJ0n6
via
IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment