BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Following the new EU approval for the weedkiller glyphosate, German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is considering further restrictions on its use in Germany. "We will examine what other options there are to effectively restrict the use of glyphosate," said the Green politician on Friday. Despite the EU approval, he wanted to comply with the coalition agreement as far as possible. "We must protect biodiversity so that we can continue to produce safe harvests tomorrow." This is quite simply a matter of public welfare and "the job of the entire federal government".

Özdemir made his comments with a view to a follow-up regulation following an emergency ordinance that has already been announced, with which the renewed EU approval is to be implemented nationally first. The emergency ordinance is to apply for six months and lift a national ban that was due to take effect on January 1, 2024 and would no longer be legally valid. Other expiring restrictions, such as a ban on use in water protection areas, will now also be continued.

The next step will be to revise the Plant Protection Application Ordinance "in line with the coalition agreement", as Özdemir said. The SPD, FDP and Greens had actually agreed: "We will take glyphosate off the market by the end of 2023." However, the EU Commission recently extended the approval by ten years until 2033. The authority made the decision after there was not a sufficient majority for or against among the EU member states. Germany abstained because the FDP was in favor and the Greens campaigned for a no vote.

Özdemir said: "There is no doubt that glyphosate harms biodiversity." The new approval was also a bad signal for innovation. "Modern crop cultivation and an almost 50-year-old total herbicide simply don't go together." There is also a dispute about whether glyphosate could be carcinogenic. An investigation by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) recently found no unacceptable risks, but pointed to data gaps in several areas./sam/DP/mis