Total Ban on Glyphosate in Austria Adopted

OrganizationsOther ♦ Published: July 4, 2019; 19:53 ♦ (Vindobona)

Austria is the first country in the European Union to ban the use of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate. The ban is legally controversial and could contradict EU law.

Controversial weedkiller glyphosate: Based on media reports and some controversial studies on possible health hazards, an intensive public and scientific debate has developed over the years. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Stephan Tournay [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

A majority in the National Council approved a proposal by the Social Democrats (SPÖ).

The People's Party (ÖVP) spoke of a "slap in the face of farmers who use the active ingredient properly".

The pesticide glyphosate is suspected of causing cancer in humans.

A proposal by the SPÖ for a general ban on glyphosate in the sense of the precautionary principle was…