Ban Roundup from stores, urges environmental federation

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last week placed glyphosate on its list of "probably carcinogenic", or cancer-causing substances. The active ingredient is found in a number of widely used herbicides in Belgium, including Monsanto's Roundup. The Federation for a Better Environment (BBL) is therefore urging the Belgian government to take immediate action to remove glyphosate herbicides from the market, and to forbid their sale to individuals.

"Enter just about any do-it-yourself shop and you’ll find a pesticide containing glyphosate. But now that the WHO has announced that the substance is likely to be carcinogenic, the federal government should ban the sale to consumers as quickly as possible. Using a hazardous substance such as this in a densely populated area, is irresponsible," BBL agriculture and nutrition expert Freek Verdonckt told BBL.