The Flemish government has approved a decree that will prohibit the use of glyphosate by individuals, the active substance of Roundup weed killer. The decree will be subject to the direction of the Council of State. The speed at which it is realised will determine when the ban comes into effect.
The Flemish Environment Minister, Joke Schauvliege, had suggested early in the year that she wanted to ban glyphosate under a precautionary principle. The US chemical giant, Monsanto, has indeed influenced scientific studies to avoid the substance being classified as carcinogenic.
Last Wednesday, the Flemish parliament approved the decretal basis for the ban, and the government has now given its approval for a decree to concretise this ban. It is not yet known when it will come into force.
The use of glyphosate by private individuals has been prohibited since 1 June in Wallonia. Brussels did the same last year.
The Brussels Times
