The entities that have formed ALAS have signed a manifesto in defence of glyphosate as a tool to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural sector. For this reason, the alliance has requested meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) and with the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Spanish Congress to ask for their support when the European Commission has to make a decision regarding the renewal of the authorization of glyphosate.
Members of the alliance have agreed that "not having glyphosate would create serious disturbances in several EU agricultural sectors," which would "jeopardise the competitiveness of Spanish and European producers."
Before the end of 2017, the European Commission will have to have made a decision regarding the renewal of the marketing authorization for this active substance, used for more than 40 years in agriculture and free of any patents.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European agency responsible for issuing scientific advice on food safety and production processes, concluded in a report published in November 2015 that "it is unlikely for glyphosate to be carcinogenic for humans and the evidence does not point in this direction," adding that "glyphosate does not seem to have mutagenic properties and has no toxic effect on fertility, reproduction or embryonic development." Regulatory agencies of other Member States of the Union, such as the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), as well as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other regulatory bodies, including those of Canada, Japan and Australia, share the same opinion.
ALAS believes that only the scientific criteria governing the evaluations of the European Food Safety Authority should guide the decisions of the Commission when approving or refusing the renewal of the authorization for an active substance (glyphosate in this case).
Growers and livestock farmers, as pointed out by ALAS, are the most interested in being able to guarantee safe and environmentally-friendly production conditions in order to be able to supply consumers with first quality products and maximum health guarantees, while contributing to protect the soil, water quality and biodiversity.
