Roundup weedkiller banned from French garden centres over 'probable' link to cancer

The French Ecology Minister said: 'France must be on the offensive with regards to the banning of pesticides'

Monday 15 June 2015

France has announced a ban on over the counter sales of a brand of weedkiller from garden centres after the active ingredient was classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the UN.

The UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate in March as "probably carcinogenic to humans", and is the active ingredient in Roundup.

The weedkiller is used by amateur gardeners as well as farmers and is the foremost product of American biotechnology giant Mosanto.

French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal told France 3 television on Sunday: "France must be on the offensive with regards to the banning of pesticides."