Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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244. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will prohibit the use of glyphosate herbicide as a result of its toxic impact. [13981/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Glyphosate was reviewed in 2002, as part of the EU plant protection product review programme which has allowed its use to date. The initial review in 2002 was carried out by Germany acting as the Rapporteur Member State (RMS) and this evaluation was peer reviewed by the other EU Member States. A scheduled re-review is currently underway, with Germany again acting as the RMS with Slovakia acting as a Co-RMS. The process of peer reviewing the German/Slovakian evaluation is coming to a conclusion and it is expected that this process will be completed within the next 6 months. This involves the European Food Safety Authority coordinating a review of this evaluation by all Member States.

All uses of glyphosate approved in Ireland are in line with approved uses in all other EU Member States. Uses are only granted if the appropriate risk assessment indicates that safe uses are possible under normal conditions. Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 regulates the authorisation, marketing and use of plant protection products (PPPs) and as such each registration must conform to the norms, methodologies and principles contained therein. Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) are currently in place facilitating all currently registered uses. These MRLs are currently under review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the EU. To date, no EU, or indeed OECD countries, have taken a negative regulatory position on Glyphosate and currently allEU Member States have extant glyphosate registrations. Any regulatory action by my Department in relation to glyphosate will be based on the scientific review carried out by the EU Member States and the European Food Safety Authority.