Glyphosate ban lifted for tea & rubber only for 36 months

Friday, 11 May 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

System for stringent monitoring of glyphosate use to be established
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The Government has approved the partial lifting of the glyphosate ban only for the tea and rubber industries for a limited period of 36 months.

The Cabinet gave its approval on Wednesday in accordance with the recommendations in the report submitted by the expert committee set up to study the impact of using glyphosate only for the tea and rubber plantation sectors.

The report recommends that a strict monitoring system is established to ensure that there is no overuse or misuse of glyphosate so as to avoid the seepage of the herbicide into surrounding water bodies.

“The ban will be partially lifted and that too only for the tea and rubber sectors, for a period of 36 months,” Co-Cabinet spokesman Minister of Health and Indigenous Medicine Rajitha Seneratne, told the Daily FT, adding that the Government’s plan was to periodically phase out the use of glyphosate by 2022, emulating similar measures taken by the European Union. (SG)