Written by Mark Ross, Animal and Plant Health NZ

Farmers will no doubt have been reeling from the price of glyphosate recently, which was caused by multiple but interrelating factors. On top of this, the world’s most widely used herbicide is under intense scrutiny here and overseas.

The raw materials needed to produce glyphosate have exacerbated its price, which more than doubled in the past year. In China, the manufacturing base for glyphosate, the price rose from under $4,000 a tonne in late 2019, to over $12,000 a tonne at the end of last year. Prices had started dropping over the first quarter of this year, but this is being countered by increasing fuel prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Continued pandemic production disruptions, labour shortages, shipping costs and delays are also behind the inflating costs. Shipping backlogs, labour disruptions as well as China's continued zero-COVID-19 policy are all taking their toll. More locally, capacity constraints due to a lack of available staff are creating issues with the supply chain including at ports, with trucking operations and couriers.

There should be no need to stockpile products though, as manufacturers are securing supply ahead of usual times. Those wishing to purchase glyphosate are urged to secure their supply six months ahead of usual times but should not order more than normal quantities – as this could further disrupt the supply chain.

Political environment protection

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recently published a summary report of the information provided in response to a call for information on glyphosate in October last year. The report, which includes responses both from experts and the general public, is expected to form part of the information that the EPA will use to assess whether there are grounds to reassess the use of glyphosate in New Zealand. It is also likely that the regulator will base its decision on those made in the EU.

In the EU, a three-year reassessment process for the herbicide was recently delayed. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced in May that it would postpone its final scientific opinion on the re-evaluation of glyphosate until July 2023. This decision was initially expected at the end of this year.

The postponement by the EFSA – which issues advice on existing and emerging food risks, to inform European laws, rules and policymaking – was due to the abundance of information to assess following a consultation process which ended late last year. Other concerns, including food security, may also have been a factor in the delay.

At the centre of the decision is whether the weedkiller is carcinogenic. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Risk Assessment Committee concluded, in May 2022, that classifying glyphosate as a carcinogen was not justified. Further, the committee found that the available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate for specific target organ toxicity, or as a mutagenic or reprotoxic substance.

This assessment will feed into a risk assessment by the EFSA. In collaboration with the Member States, the EFSA will complete its peer review and publish its conclusions – which will assess all possible risks that exposure to glyphosate might pose to humans, animals and the environment.

The European Commission will then analyse EFSA’s conclusions, before putting forward a renewal report and a draft regulation on whether glyphosate can be approved for use. Further discussions will take place ahead of a vote by the Member States on the Commission’s proposal.

While there will be a scientific discussion, the ultimate decision on whether to re-authorise glyphosate, and for how long, is likely to be a political one.

Mark Ross is chief executive of Animal and Plant Health New Zealand, the industry association for companies that manufacture and distribute crop protection and animal health products. The association was previously called Agcarm.