Glyphosate: EFSA and ECHA update timelines for assessments

The consultations carried out by EFSA and ECHA on the draft assessments of glyphosate attracted an unprecedented number of comments, confirming the high level of interest in this substance. Such a level of public participation underlines the importance of transparency in the evaluation of active substances in the EU.

The input received from the consultations, together with the replies received by EFSA from the applicant (the Group on the Renewal of Glyphosate) in response to its request for additional information, added a significant amount of information to a dossier that already contained far more scientific data than are usually available for such assessments.

This additional information will be thoroughly considered by the Assessment Group on Glyphosate (AGG), composed of four EU Member States – France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden – that is now updating their initial draft renewal assessment report (dRAR).

Against this background, EFSA and ECHA have revised the timeline for the remaining steps in the re-evaluation process.

ECHA’s classification

ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) will discuss the hazard classification of glyphosate during its plenary meeting on 30-31 May. The Committee will consider carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, as well as the environmental classification. RAC’s opinion will be made available to EFSA and published on ECHA’s website within 8-10 weeks (i.e. end of July to mid-August 2022). EFSA will consider the RAC opinion during the peer review of the dRAR.

EFSA’s peer review

EFSA received 368 responses to its public consultation, many including multiple comments. EFSA also received approximately 2,400 comments from Member State experts and the Glyphosate Renewal Group (GRG). These contributions have resulted in a file of approximately 3,000 pages, which must be scrutinised by the GRG and subsequently by the AGG, and which will then serve as a basis for the preparation of the updated dRAR.

The AGG informed EFSA that they expect to submit the updated dRAR by 30 September 2022. EFSA will therefore be able to hold the Pesticides Peer Review meetings with Member State experts in November and December 2022 and to finalise the conclusions in July 2023. In its conclusions, EFSA will assess all possible risks that exposure to glyphosate might pose to humans, animals and the environment.

These updated timelines result from the obligation to thoroughly consider all comments received.