The letter represents 70,000 farmers and was sent to the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner, Phil Hogan, and the Health and Safety Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis.
An excerpt from the letter says:
"Across the UK, farmers are following the ongoing debate on the re-approval of glyphosate with mounting concern. The UK Farming Unions firmly believe that the EU’s science-based decision making process should be upheld and glyphosate reauthorised for the maximum period possible. Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have concluded that glyphosate cannot be considered carcinogenic and therefore there should be no safety concerns related to its reauthorisation for the maximum period of 15 years.
"The UK Farming Unions ask you to stand by your own science and regulatory procedure, and reauthorise glyphosate for the maximum period possible and not allow the issue to be politicised any longer. Not delivering would jeopardise confidence in the whole EU food safety system and in particular in EFSA’s role."
You can read the letter in full here.
Here's how you can get involved:
Write a personal letter to your MEP
MEPs, MPs and the Commission have raised concerns that individual farmers are not speaking up about the importance and safety of glyphosate. Personal letters telling your own story have much more impact than template letters or round robin emails, so write to your MP or MEP explaining a little bit about you and your farm, outlining how glyphosate works for you, and what it allows you to do. Use can also use our glyphosate infographic and the information in the Crop Protection channel on NFU Online.
Invite your MEP out on farm
Getting these people out on farm so they can find out what glyphosate enables you to do and also see what else you are doing to minimise the use of pesticides is a really good way to get your story across. Work with your local NFU office to facilitate this and make sure you are fully prepared. Further advice is available in the Crop Protection channel on NFU Online.
Join the social media debate
The more people on social media highlighting the importance, safety and benefits of glyphosate the louder farming’s voice will be in the ongoing debate. Use simple, easy to understand messages about the benefits glyphosate brings to your farm. Use the hashtag #glyphosate. Include a picture or video with your tweet if possible.