France puts severe restrictions on glyphosate use

France has announced severe limitations on the use of glyphosate herbicides, limiting how much can be used and where.

The ‘Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire’ (ANSS) recently concluded its report into non-chemical alternatives for glyphosate and has drawn up a list of areas where it considered the chemical herbicide unsuitable for short term usage.

As reported by Vitisphere, in France’s viticultural sector the use of glyphosate is now banned between rows, except in those parcels which are not mechanisable; those that are especially steep, terraced or stony for example.

Glyphosate can still be used directly beneath the vines but only in doses of 450g per hectare a year and only on a maximum of 20% of a particular parcel.

The new regulations will come into effect in early 2021, giving those in the industry a six month grace period to change their methods.

In addition, the ANSS said it would withdraw authorisation for 13 glyphosate products currently on the market and used in viticulture.

These are on top of 36 glyphosate-based herbicides that were banned last year and will no longer be available from 29 November this year.