Two glyphosate-based herbicides sold by Syngenta have been banned in France by an administrative court in the southern part of the country.
The court found that the 2020 approval of the two Syngenta herbicides was faulty because the approval did not take into account effects of the products on some wildlife, said the advocacy group Générations Futures (Future Generations).
The group had requested cancellation of the marketing authorizations for Touchdown Systeme 4 and Touchdown Foret “because of failure to take into account the precautionary principle and the absence of risk assessment on non-target vertebrates and arthropods,” it said.
Lawyers for the group called the legal victory “a turning point in the litigation of marketing authorizations, which can no longer be issued without a full risk assessment, with regard to the precautionary principle.”
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A Syngenta spokesperson described the decision as “disappointing” in an email to Agri-Pulse, pointing to the “rigorous registration process that has demonstrated safe use in accordance with the recommendations.
“We stand by the effectiveness and safety of the products, which are highly effective and trusted by farmers across the country to safeguard livelihoods and food security,” the spokesperson noted, adding the company “reserves the right to appeal.”
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