Campaigners Push to Ban Glyphosate Use on Crops Before Harvest
UK health and farming advocates are demanding that the government prohibit glyphosate spraying on crops just days before harvest, BBC Business reported Sunday, as a formal regulatory review draws closer.
Soil Association Targets Pre-Harvest Spraying
The Soil Association launched a dedicated campaign Wednesday aimed at ending the practice of using glyphosate as a desiccant, or drying agent, on standing crops. The group argues the technique leaves chemical residues in staple foods including bread, breakfast cereals, and beer. Farmer and Riverford Organic Farmers founder Guy Singh-Watson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the campaign was not seeking a total ban on the herbicide. His focus was narrower. He wants to stop farmers from spraying glyphosate onto crops immediately before harvest, when traces inevitably carry through into the food supply. Singh-Watson also disputed the industry claim that the practice is essential, describing it as a relatively modern development rather than a farming staple.
A Regulatory Decision Is Coming This Summer
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive is set to open a two-month public consultation this summer. Regulators will weigh new scientific, technical, and regulatory evidence before deciding whether to renew glyphosate’s licence, which expires in December 2026. The EU moved to ban pre-harvest desiccation use of the chemical back in 2023, though it remains approved there for other agricultural applications. UK campaigners want the government to follow that lead before the current licence lapses.
The Chemical’s Long and Contested History
Glyphosate was first developed by Monsanto in the 1970s under the Roundup brand. Its patent expired in 2000, opening the market to multiple manufacturers. Bayer, the German life-sciences company that acquired Monsanto, maintains that no regulatory authority has classified the chemical as carcinogenic. A company spokesperson framed pre-harvest desiccation as a tool that supports crop yields, limits fossil fuel use for mechanical drying, and bolsters food security in unpredictable growing seasons.
Farmers and Industry Groups Back Continued Use
Not everyone welcomes the campaign. Farmer Dave Bell, chair of the Voluntary Initiative for the Use of Plant Protection, told the Today programme that glyphosate helps him maintain soil health, reduce fuel consumption, and limit reliance on other weed-control methods. NFU deputy president Paul Tompkins called the herbicide an essential tool for growers and said he hopes the upcoming review renews its approval for a full 15 years. Global regulatory bodies have generally found glyphosate safe when used responsibly, though the WHO’s cancer research arm classified it as “probably carcinogenic” as far back as 2015, keeping the scientific debate very much alive.
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