Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller atomizers are displayed for sale at a garden shop at Bonneuil-Sur-Marne near Paris, France, June 16, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Platiau (Copyright Reuters 2016)
The European Union's executive Commission has given the go-ahead for the popular weed killer glyphosate to be used for up to 18 months longer amid concerns about its possible links to cancer.
The Commission acted Wednesday after the 28-nation bloc's member countries failed to agree on extending the authorization for glyphosate, which was due to expire at the end of June.
Many argue there are too many uncertainties about the health effects of the weedkiller. Glyphosate is an ingredient in Roundup, a popular weedkiller across the globe.
The Commission extended the approval of glyphosate through the end of 2017 at the latest. It said that, by then, the European Chemicals Agency will have produced an additional opinion on the weedkiller.