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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a public consultation on a draft opinion revising the current guidelines for recommended copper intake. The public consultation is open until 01/08/2022, responding to a proposal to reduce the recommended daily dose from 0.15 mg / kg body weight to 0.07 mg / kg body weight. In its draft opinion, EFSA considers, for the first time, the overall exposure of consumers to copper, from all dietary sources. According to EFSA, the general population does not suffer from overexposure, but the group of younger consumers is especially problematic.
More information is available here, the consultation is available here.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued a statement on 30/05/2022 stating that for glyphosate, the current classification should be used to further assess its use. Therefore, according to ECHA, the classification of glyphosate should continue to indicate that it is a substance that causes serious eye damage, toxic to aquatic organisms. Based on an extensive review of the evidence, the Agency again concluded that the classification of glyphosate as a carcinogen was not justified. ECHA's position is in line with the position of the four EU countries (SE, FR, HU, NL) that have reviewed glyphosate in recent months. ECHA's opinion will be sent to the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) by mid-August at the latest. EFSA will then carry out its glyphosate risk assessment, which is expected to be completed in July 2023. After analysing the conclusions, the Commission will submit to the Member States a proposal for a regulation on whether or not the license to use glyphosate in the EU can be renewed.
More information is available here.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have launched parallel consultations on initial scientific evaluations of glyphosate. EFSA is collecting feedback on the glyphosate re-use assessment report, while ECHA will consult the harmonized classification and labelling report. The initial scientific evaluations submitted for consultation were prepared by the Glyphosate Evaluation Group (AGG) composed of experts from FR, HU, NL and SE. EFSA will take into account the outcome of ECHA's opinion and the assessment is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022. The European Commission, together with risk managers from the 27 EU Member States, will decide, probably in mid-2023, whether to renew glyphosate approval for use in the EU.
More information is available here.

Germany is considering a ban on the production of agricultural crops in connection with the war in Ukraine. This follows from a bill submitted last week by Federal Minister of the Environment Steffi Lemke. The proposal has already been supported by the ministers of agriculture and industry. According to Lemke, the war in Ukraine is a reminder that the area of agricultural land is limited and that it is urgently needed for food production. The new bill follows Germany's previous sustainability demand, a ban on the use of palm oil as a fuel, from 2023. The proposal was also supported by Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, who said that if he had to choose between using crops for food, feed or engines, then clearly chooses food. The proposal must now have the support of energy and transport ministers before it can be discussed in the Bundestag.
More information is available here.

The Pesticide Action Network EU (PAN EU) published last week a report focusing on the use of pesticides in the European Union. According to the report, the volume of pesticides used in the EU, which are classified as the most toxic, is increasing. The report looked at the levels of pesticide residues in common fruit (kiwi, pears, cherries) and examined changes in residues over time. According to the European Commission, the use of the most dangerous pesticides decreased by 201% in 2019 compared to 2015-2017. However, according to the results of the EU PAN, this is not true. On the contrary, the EU PAN states that in 2019 the share of fruit and vegetables contaminated with the most dangerous pesticides increased by 8.8% compared to 2015-2017. The Commission has not yet commented on the results.
More information is available here.