At Bayer, we are committed to living up to our responsibility as a leader to shape the future of agriculture for the benefit of our customers, consumers and the planet. We firmly believe in the safety of our products, including glyphosate.

As a leading member of the European Glyphosate Renewal Group (GRG), Bayer recently submitted the 2020 glyphosate renewal dossier to the AGG (Assessment Group on Glyphosate). This is an important step in the routine process towards renewed approval of glyphosate use in Europe, while also constituting a significant milestone for our commitment to transparency as we intend to enable access to safety data from the dossier later this summer on glyphosate.eu.

Bayer will continue to support science-based regulatory decisions and will work transparently with the European Commission and the Member States to ensure glyphosate-based products remain available to farmers and other users in Europe to support agricultural sustainability and Industrial Vegetation Management. Farmers in Europe and around the world rely on glyphosate-based herbicides as safe, cost-effective components of their Integrated Weed Management practices, helping to ensure more productive harvests while preserving the environment. Beyond the farm, glyphosate is key to ensuring the safety of roadsides, railways and utility corridors in Europe by controlling invasive or noxious weeds and brush. More information is available on bayer.com/glyphosate

What Happens Next? 

The dossier has now been submitted to regulatory authorities, who will ensure it is complete and begin an initial assessment. A draft report is scheduled to be completed by June 2021, after which a period of public comment and peer review by the other EU Member States is opened by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). EFSA will then publish its conclusions and send them to the EU Commission’s panel of experts for a final vote in late 2022.
 

The Glyphosate Renewal Group  

The Glyphosate Renewal Group (GRG) is a consortium of eight companies that have come together to support the continued use of glyphosate in Europe and who are seeking the routine renewal of the approval of glyphosate by EU authorities for 2022 and beyond. These companies have combined their efforts and expertise to prepare a dossier containing all of the scientific studies and information necessary to reaffirm the safety of glyphosate. While the companies are involved in the manufacturing and sale of glyphosate, the GRG welcomes other interested parties to join them in supporting the renewal of this essential crop protection product.
 

Re-registration FAQs

1. Is glyphosate safe for use? 
Glyphosate-based products have been used safely and successfully in Europe for more than 40 years. Leading health regulators in Europe, the United States, Germany, Canada, Australia, Korea, New Zealand, Japan, and elsewhere around the world continue to conclude that glyphosate-based products are safe when used as directed. Glyphosate-based herbicides are one of the most thoroughly studied products of their kind, which is a major reason why farmers around the world continue to rely on these products. 

2. If glyphosate is so safe, why does its approval need to be renewed?
By law, all active ingredients approved in the EU undergo routine evaluations. These are conducted by designated Member States and then peer-reviewed by EFSA and all other EU Member States. Germany conducted the most recent EU-level evaluation of glyphosate in 2017, and following peer-review by EFSA, the evaluation concluded that glyphosate is safe for use and “is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans.” As this registration approval ends in December 2022, the process for another routine renewal began in December 2019. 

3. Doesn’t glyphosate pose a threat to environmental sustainability?
In the EU, regulatory authorities only approve pesticides that can be used safely for the environment — and in 2017, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that glyphosate is safe when used as directed. In addition, glyphosate supports sustainable farming. Farmers in Europe and around the world rely on glyphosate not only for effective weed control, but also for its role in minimizing tillage farming practices, which results in significantly less soil erosion and compaction, conserved moisture in the soil, and preserved soil health. It also leads to improved water quality and reduces fuel inputs and greenhouse gas emissions. Beyond the farm, glyphosate is key to ensuring the safety of roadsides, railways and utility corridors in Europe by controlling invasive or noxious weeds and brush.  

4. Why was the previous renewal authorized for only five years instead of the typical fifteen years?
Glyphosate fulfilled all scientific requirements for a full 15-year renewal. Still, in November 2017, Member States voted to reauthorize the use of glyphosate in the EU for a period of only 5 years. 

5. You talk about being transparent, but what does that really mean?
As a member of the GRG, we are instituting measures for greater transparency. In addition to documents related to the renewal of approval process for glyphosate already available on the GRG Transparency website, including minutes of meetings with regulatory agencies, the renewal dossier and safety data from this 2020 dossier will be made available after it is considered complete by AGG. As a result, this dossier provides an unprecedented level of transparency. It is also one of the most complete compilations of glyphosate studies ever assembled — and is entirely consistent with the commitment Bayer has made to openness and engagement. Increased transparency and dialogue can only help foster public trust in our regulatory process.