Canada
Glyphosate is registered for use in Canada. The regulator for agricultural chemicals in Canada is the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA). The PMRA completed its most recent re-evaluation of glyphosate in 2017 and granted continued registration for the sale and use of glyphosate products in Canada. Information about the Canadian regulatory process is available on the PMRA website.
European Union
Glyphosate is approved for use in plant protection products in the European Union (EU). The next EU periodic review of glyphosate is due for completion by December 2023.
Regulation of agricultural chemicals in the EU is managed in 3 stages. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) first undertakes hazard assessments relating to the chemical. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) then undertakes risk assessments to determine whether use as an agricultural product would be acceptable. If the use is acceptable, the EFSA then approves the chemical for use within the EU. Each EU member country also has a regulatory authority that determines whether products containing approved plant protection products may be used in that country.
New Zealand
Glyphosate is registered for use in New Zealand. New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Agency (NZ EPA) has assessed the safety of glyphosate and found it safe to use according to the directions provided on product labels. The NZ EPA’s most recent assessment of glyphosate was published in 2016. Further information on New Zealand’s assessment process is available on the NZ EPA website.
United States of America
Glyphosate has been registered for use in the USA since 1974. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) is responsible for the regulation of pesticides in the USA. The US EPA has completed extensive assessments of glyphosate, including as part of their periodical re-registration process. Information about the US EPA’s currently ongoing assessments and conclusions on the safety of glyphosate are available on the US EPA website.
Assessment of glyphosate by international expert non-government organisations
The Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) is an international scientific working group. The JMPR is jointly administered by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The JMPR conducts risk assessments to identify safe levels of pesticide residues in foods. Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) staff have been selected as independent expert evaluators for the working group. The JMPR has undertaken a risk-based, weight-of-evidence re-evaluation of glyphosate following the 2015 IARC report.
The JMPR met in May 2016 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss its assessment of glyphosate. The JMPR concluded there was no reliable evidence of a link between occupational glyphosate exposure and cancer. The JMPR also concluded glyphosate is unlikely to pose a cancer risk to humans from exposure through food.
The full report of the JMPR assessment is available on the JMPR website. The APVMA will continue to participate in international assessments and carefully consider assessments released by pesticide regulators in other counties.
The Agricultural Health Study
The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a prospective study1 of cancer and other health outcomes in more than 89,000 farmers and their spouses in the United States. The AHS began in 1993 with the goal to answer important questions about how agricultural, lifestyle and genetic factors affect farmer health. The AHS is a joint effort involving the Unites States’ National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It is not funded or influenced by industry. The AHS has resulted in hundreds of scientific reports, including reports specifically about glyphosate exposure and cancer. No dependable link between glyphosate and cancer has been reported by either the AHS or by independent researchers who have evaluated the data.
1 A prospective study means that a group of people are enrolled and monitored over time to see whether they are more or less likely to develop health problems compared to everyone else.