The European Parliament approved a resolution to fully ban glyphosates by 2022 on Tuesday.
Glyphosate is the active agent of Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup. On Wednesday, the European Commission postponed taking a binding agreement on the matter, Reuters reports.
Glyphosate is a herbicide used to kill broadleaf plants and grasses since 1974. According to a 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) study the agent has carcinogenic potential as it affects the human endocrinal system.
It has been suggested that Roundup contains many more chemical agents that multiply the toxicity of glyphosate. Traces of the substance have also Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, DW reports.
The European Commission had recommended a gradual phase off of the substance within ten years. France opposed the European Commission’s intention to renew the license for the distribution of glyphosate in August. The French decision blocked Monsanto’s licensing process, as a qualified majority of EU member states is required to renew the weed killer’s 10-year license.
The non-binding European Parliament decision mounts pressure on the European Commission to ban the substance. A petition calling for an immediate ban was signed by 13 million citizens and had the support of a number of civil society organizations.
Monsanto’s license for Roundup expires at the end of 2017. Until Tuesday, DW reports that the European Commission was considering a five to seven years license renewal.