It took a while Friday for even smart people to understand what occurred as news broke that the EPA withdrew an interim decision for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. EPA said it will complete its registration review in 2026.
The decision followed a June opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that vacated the human health portion of EPA’s interim decision after finding the cancer analysis was flawed.
The Court also remanded, but did not vacate, the agency’s ecological risk assessment after finding that the interim decision should not have been issued without an “effects determination” detailing impacts on threatened and endangered species.
However, EPA says withdrawing doesn’t mean it’s necessarily changing its position on the human-health assessment.
Potential Changes to Come
The Agency said the court action does not mean the conclusion was “either incorrect or cannot be used as support for a future decision following reconsideration in accordance with the court’s decision.”
EPA said it intends to “revisit and better explain” its evaluation of glyphosate’s potential carcinogenic effects on people.
Some industry professionals see EPA’s decision as an opportunity for producers.
What it Means After Taking Out the Government Gobbledygook
“It’s important for farmers to know that label restrictions for glyphosate are not changing right now,” said Laura Campbell, senior conservation and regulatory relations specialist for Michigan Farm Bureau. “We’ll be watching this closely and make sure the EPA is hearing from stakeholders in agriculture about the safety of glyphosate, the protective measures we use for the environment and the devastating impacts that further restrictions would have.”
EPA had been facing an Oct. 1 deadline to complete its registration, but the withdrawal was expected, according to Roundup maker Bayer.
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