Austria Becomes the First EU Member State to Ban Glyphosate

Austria has become the first European Union (EU) member state to completely ban glyphosate, a herbicide used in weed killers. The EU had extended the license for controversial herbicides containing this substance for another five years in 2017, despite it being listed as a 'possible carcinogen' by the World Health Organization. Opponents of the ban argue that the legislation, proposed by the opposition Social Democrats and approved by the parliament, would contradict EU laws.