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Where Is Glyphosate Banned? Client Focused. Trial Ready. Billions Won.

Where is Glyphosate Banned?

Updated May 2023

Numerous cities, counties, states and countries throughout the world have taken steps to either restrict or ban glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer.

The following countries have issued outright bans on glyphosate, imposed restrictions or have issued statements of intention to ban or restrict glyphosate-based herbicides, including Roundup, over health concerns and the evidence uncovered in the Roundup cancer litigation proving the weed killer’s link to cancer:

The following boroughs and townships have issued bans or restrictions on pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate:

Vietnam: Following the jury verdict in Hardeman v. Monsanto Co., Vietnam announced that it would ban glyphosate imports. According to Hoang Trung, Director of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, “the removal of this substance from the list of pesticides allowed to be used in Vietnam will be done in the near future.”

Is Glyphosate Banned in Europe?

As you can see above, some individual countries have introduced legislation to ban or restrict private sales of glyphosate, or restrictions on spraying glyphosate in public spaces. As for the whole of the European Union (EU), glyphosate is not currently banned.

In December of 2022, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) extended the registration for glyphosate for one year. EFSA could come to a decision on the temporary registration before the December 2023 deadline if evidence in the coming months demonstrates that glyphosate no longer fulfils the approval criteria laid down in the EU pesticides legislation.

However, EU public opinion is leaning in favor of a glyphosate ban. In a 2016 poll of the five largest EU countries, over 66 percent of respondents said they favored a glyphosate ban. Over 1.3 million people signed a petition in 2017 calling for a European ban of glyphosate. That public pressure caught the attention numerous Members of European Parliament, who have cited the petition as the foundation for instituting an EU ban.

In November of 2017, EU member states narrowly voted to relicense glyphosate for a period of five years. The vote was not without controversy; German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt (CSU) entered a ‘yes’ vote for his country without consulting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on the matter. His unilateral vote disregarded Germany’s Environment Minister, who had instructed Schmidt to abstain from voting. With Germany’s vote, the measure narrowly passed and glyphosate received a new license.

Following the scandal, six EU countries sent a letter to the European Commission, calling for an exit plan for glyphosate. France and Italy have stated they will carry out glyphosate bans by 2020, and Germany announced in 2018 that it will also issue a glyphosate ban.

In January of 2019, a European Parliament report found that EU regulators based their decision to relicense glyphosate on an assessment that was plagiarized from a coalition of pesticide companies, including Monsanto.

The EU Parliament report investigated claims that Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) copied and pasted large sections of a pesticide industry assessment of glyphosate literature in its own assessment. The BfR report concluded that classifying glyphosate as a carcinogen is not warranted. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which relied upon the BfR report, also found that glyphosate is safe for humans and the environment.

Following the release of the EU Parliament report, an EU court ruled that EFSA should publicize glyphosate studies used for its assessments.

Is Glyphosate Banned in the United States?

Despite the IARC report’s 2015 conclusion that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has held that glyphosate poses no unreasonable risk to the environment or human health.

But that classification could soon change. In 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected EPA’s glyphosate determination, finding that the agency failed to adequately consider whether the active ingredient in Roundup is capable of causing cancer. The three-judge panel concluded that EPA disregarded its own guidelines and discounted studies showing a link between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

The Appeal’s Court decision is important for a number of reasons. First, EPA has to reanalyze the findings that support continued use of glyphosate. If the Court had sided with the agency, the U.S. would have continued with widespread use of a harmful chemical until the next time EPA conducted a re-assessment, which is roughly every 15 years. But with the decision and EPA having to go back and review its findings, there may be serious restrictions on glyphosate use coming soon.

“The EPA has got it wrong on glyphosate. We have study after study after study showing that it in fact, does cause a specific type of cancer called lymphoma. And we see it happening in thousands and thousands of people across the country. Currently, this Administration and this EPA will not take action against Monsanto. We’ve seen the internal documents, the text messages, the emails between senior EPA officials and Monsanto employees. And the simple fact is they know that this EPA will not take adverse action against them. It is a travesty that this truth about it causing cancer and this awareness that we are trying to raise has to be done in the context of litigation. We only exist, these lawsuits only exist, because the EPA has failed the American public for 45 years and Monsanto is allowed to get away with reckless conduct with, essentially, impunity…this agency essentially does not work for the American public but works for industry. The fact that the White House is telling Monsanto, ‘We have your back.’ I mean this just tells us that we are going to have to keep fighting this fight and that we are not going to get any support or help from the public agencies that, ironically, are supposed to be protecting the public health.” – Brent Wisner, Roundup Cancer Attorney 

Bayer Will Stop Selling Glyphosate in U.S. Lawn & Garden Market Starting in 2023

In July of 2021, Bayer announced that it will stop selling its glyphosate-based Roundup™ herbicides in the United States Lawn & Garden residential market beginning in 2023. The announcement was a welcomed victory for consumer advocates who have long fought to remove glyphosate from store shelves.

Is Glyphosate Banned in California?

California has not issued a statewide ban on glyphosate. However, on July 7, 2017, California became the first state in the nation to issue a warning on glyphosate by adding the chemical to the state’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals and substances known to cause cancer.

California’s decision to warn consumers about glyphosate was pursuant to the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, better known as California Proposition 65, a ballot initiative approved by voters in 1986 to address toxic chemical exposure concerns. Prop 65 requires California to publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.

In 2019, University of California President Janet Napolitano announced that glyphosate would be temporarily banned on all 10 UC campuses, citing “concerns about possible human health and ecological hazards, as well potential legal and reputational risks associated with this category of herbicides.”

U.S. Cities to Restrict or Ban Glyphosate

Alaska

  • Anchorage, Alaska – Passed an ordinance that establishes pesticide-free policies and restrictions for city parks, public lands, and other property.
  • Skagway, Alaska – Signed an ordinance that prohibits the sale and use of persistent herbicides (including glyphosate) on public and private property.

Arizona

California

Colorado

Connecticut

A growing number of Connecticut towns, including Branford, Cheshire, Granby, Essex, Greenwich, Manchester, Oxford, Pine Grove, Plainville, Roxbury, Watertown, and Woodbridge have adopted bans or restrictions on glyphosate use. The state also has Public Act 09-56 to eliminate the use pesticides in K-8 schools.

Florida

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ceased using aquatic herbicides, glyphosate chief among them, anywhere in state waters, while the agency gathers public input.

Indian River County, Florida – Ceased using glyphosate on city parks and a public golf course.

Vero Beach, Florida – City officials announced an organics weed management pilot program to curb the use of glyphosate and other chemicals.

Hawaii

In February of 2018, a series of bills moved ahead in the legislature that would regulate pesticides, including Roundup weed killer.

  • Hawaii County, Hawaii – A Hawaii County Council committee approved a bill that would prohibit the use of herbicides like Roundup on public parks, roads, bike routes, trails, sidewalks, and elsewhere. The bill passed in December of 2021.

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Maine

In March of 2021, Maine lawmakers proposed a ban on aerial glyphosate spraying in the state’s forests. Democratic Senate President Troy Jackson presented the bill, noting “aerial herbicides in the Maine woods benefits the bottom line of large landowners at the expense and well-being of the people living and working in the region.” Months later, Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill.

Dozens of cities and townships in Maine have adopted local ordinances restricting or banning pesticides and herbicides.

  • Portland, Maine – Banned synthetic pesticides in March of 2019. Private property owners may only use organic treatments on lawns and gardens. No pesticides may be used within 75 feet of a water body or wetland.
  • South Portland, Maine – Passed a pesticide plan that discourages property owners from using certain pesticides and herbicides.

Maryland

  • Baltimore, Maryland – The city council voted to restrict three toxic pesticides, including glyphosate. The new regulation will take effect in July of 2022.
  • Greenbelt, Maryland – Adopted Sustainable Land Care policy for public lands calling for limited use of pesticides.
  • Howard County, Maryland – Implemented a least-toxic IPM policy and accompanying legislation for county grounds maintenance in November of 2019.
  • Hyattsville, Maryland – Passed ordinance prohibiting the use of toxic pesticides on public property in favor of alternative, organic methods
  • Montgomery County, Maryland – County Council voted to ban the use of cosmetic pesticides on private lawns. In December 2018, Montgomery County Parks announced that it would discontinue the use of glyphosate in parks.
  • Takoma Park, Maryland – Placed restriction on cosmetic pesticides for lawn care on public and private property.

Massachusetts

South Hadley, Massachusetts – Banned the use of glyphosate on town-owned or town-operated property.

Michigan

On April 21, 2021, several Michigan State Senators introduced a bill that would ban the residential use of glyphosate on grass, flower beds, and other ground cover.

Minnesota

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

New Jersey

New Jersey has State and local ordinances encouraging Integrated Pest Management programs to eliminate or drastically reduce the use of pesticides. At least 15 city school districts and over a dozen other parks and recreation departments in the state have enacted IPM programs.

New York

In January of 2019, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (27th District) sponsored a bill in the New York State Senate that would prohibit the sale and distribution of products containing glyphosate. Updates on the legislation can be found here.

In July of 2020, New York passed a bill banning the use of glyphosate on all state property. Governor Cuomo signed the legislation in late 2020. The bill will take effect at the end of 2021.

North Carolina

  • Carrboro, North Carolina – The city of Carrboro has restricted glyphosate use since 1999. Under the terms of the ban, glyphosate cannot be sprayed in public parks, schools and town buildings or properties. The city will only allow glyphosate to be sprayed under limited circumstances.

Ohio

  • Cuyahoga County, Ohio – Local ordinance prohibits the use of pesticides on county-owned land, and established the adoption of an Integrated Pest Management program for county-owned properties.
  • South Euclid, Ohio – Passed ordinance prohibiting toxic pesticides on public grounds in favor of alternative, organic pest control methods unless permitted by an Environmental Review Board.

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Texas

Vermont

Multiple bills containing restrictions or bans on glyphosate have been introduced in the legislature.

Representative Mari Cordes introduced H. 301, which would ban the sale, use or application of the herbicide glyphosate.

Representative Annmarie Christensen introduced H. 328, an act relating to the use of glyphosate herbicide.

Virginia

  • Charlottesville, Virginia – Restricts the use of glyphosate on any city-owned parks, schools, or buildings. Glyphosate can only be sprayed under limited circumstances.

Washington

Do you know of a glyphosate ban that is not on our list? Contact us todayand let us know.

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    On Aug. 10, 2018, a San Francisco jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39.25 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to Mr. Johnson, a former groundskeeper who alleged exposure to Monsanto’s herbicides caused him to develop terminal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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