With the ban on the use of glyphosate approved by the Viennese parliament on Tuesday 2 July, Austria has become the first EU country to ban the use of this weed killer on a national scale.
Glyphosate is the most widely used plant protection product in European agriculture, but there is an on-going debate about its effects on health and the environment. Experts in Austria warn that the ban may violate European legislation, which allows the use of glyphosate within the EU until the end of 2022.
The proposal of the Social Democratic Party SPÖ was supported by the ultra-right party FPÖ, the liberal party Neos and the progressive party Jetzt. ÖVP, a populist party, voted against the initiative and called it "a slap in the face for all growers who use this product properly." Environmental organization Greenpeace, however, spoke of a "historic success".
Source: infocampo.com.ar
