The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took the decision to extend the approval of glyphosate until 15 December 2026, as the current approval was likely to expire before a decision on renewal could be taken. Therefore, as the competent authority for the renewal, the Health and Safety Executive extended the approval by a sufficient period to allow the application to be properly examined.
The Health and Safety Executive will assess whether glyphosate continues to meet the legislative approval criteria for an active substance in accordance with assimilated Regulation No 1107/2009 and assimilated Regulation No 844/2012. This will take account of any new scientific, technical and regulatory knowledge. This will include anything that has changed or been updated since the latest approval decision.
The Health and Safety Executive has confirmed that a public consultation on its draft conclusion will take place, and the response will be taken into account before any renewal decision is made.
If the Health and Safety Executive finds a positive assessment of glyphosate based on the aforementioned criteria, then glyphosate can be renewed for a period of up to fifteen years. This would also result in a reassessment of all authorised pesticide products containing glyphosate, which can only take place after an approval for the active substance.
Under the terms of the Windsor Framework, EU plant protection regulations continue to apply directly in Northern Ireland. The EU’s recent decision to renew glyphosate in 2023 therefore permits authorised products to be sold and used in Northern Ireland.