Campaigners Call for UK Ban on Glyphosate Use as Pre-Harvest Drying Agent

Campaigners are calling for a ban on the use of the weedkiller glyphosate to dry crops at harvest time because of concerns about its impact on human health. Many farmers argue the chemical is necessary. The Soil Association warns that its use as a drying agent leaves residues in foods such as bread, breakfast cereals and beer.

Though multiple regulatory reports have found it to be safe, some scientific studies have suggested possible links between glyphosate use and cancer and other illnesses. The government's Health and Safety Executive will soon launch a consultation on whether to allow its use on crops beyond December 2026, when the licence to use the chemical is set to expire.

Use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent was banned in the EU in 2023. Campaigners are now calling on the UK government to follow that approach. The chemical remains licensed for other uses across the continent.

Wednesday, the Soil Association launched a campaign to end its use as a pre-harvest desiccant in the UK, ahead of the consultation later this year. Farmer and founder of Riverford Organic Farmers Guy Singh-Watson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the campaign was not seeking an outright ban on the product in the UK.

>"To say that it's essential to the growing of wheat, I'm afraid, is... " — Guy Singh-Watson (BBC News) Instead, he said the UK should ban the practice of spraying glyphosate onto crops just days before they are harvested, in the full knowledge that traces of that chemical are going to end up in bread, breakfast cereals and beer.

He described the use of glyphosate to dry crops as a relatively modern practice.

Roundup weedkiller, which contains glyphosate, was originally developed by Monsanto in the 1970s. Its patent expired in 2000 and the chemical is now sold by various manufacturers. A spokesperson for Bayer, the German bio-tech company that now owns Monsanto, said there is no regulatory authority that has found that glyphosate is carcinogenic.

The spokesperson added that glyphosate was an important tool amid the UK's climate. Using glyphosate for pre-harvest desiccation in seasons when it is needed helps to protect high quality crop yields and reduce use of fossil fuels for crop drying, contributing to farm incomes in an otherwise unpredictable environment.

He said that to promote and maintain soil health and a good healthy rotation in his crops, he needs to utilise glyphosate to reduce wear and tear, reduce reliance on other weed control methods and reduce his carbon footprint. The National Farmers Union and some other farming organisations support the continued use of glyphosate-based weedkillers, including as a pre-harvest drying agent.

NFU deputy president Paul Tompkins said the chemical was an essential tool for farmers and growers that can be used on cereals to make harvesting easier, to control weeds, reduce disease and help produce sustainable and affordable food for all.

Regulatory bodies around the world have consistently found that glyphosate is safe when used responsibly. Tompkins added that he would like to see the UK review process renew the approval of glyphosate for a full 15 years. There is conflicting and longstanding scientific and regulatory debate about the safety of glyphosate.

In 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, concluded the chemical was probably carcinogenic to humans. Subsequent regulatory reviews have disputed this finding. An assessment by the United States Environmental Protection Agency found that glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen.

In 2022 the European Chemicals Agency's Committee for Risk Assessment concluded it was not justified to classify glyphosate as a carcinogen. In March this year a group of international scientists gathered to review new science published over the last decade.

They found glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides harm human health and can cause cancer, according to its expert statement. A government spokesperson said that like all pesticides, glyphosate is subject to strict regulation in Great Britain and is only approved for use if the evidence shows that it will not harm human or animal health or have unacceptable effects on the environment.

The government says its pesticides national action plan supports moves by farmers to minimise the use of pesticides and increase integrated pest management.