FAILURE TO re-licence glyphosate for use in UK agriculture could cost the British economy nearly £1billion, according to new analysis prepared on behalf of the Crop Protection Association.

The widely used herbicide has come under attack from some quarters over a perceived link with human ill-health, despite that not being supported by peer-reviewed scientific evidence. Regardless, EU authorities are still fighting shy of a full re-authorisation, prompting the CPA to offer up the independent report assessing the likely cost if policy makers put public opinion ahead of facts.

Its headline figure is that, without glyphosate, farm output will take a £940 million hit, compounded by reduced tax revenues generated by agriculture and its supply chain of around £193 million.

Oxford Economics' Ian Mulheirn explained: “Our report’s findings are very clear – a glyphosate ban will negatively impact UK GDP and agriculture, at a time of real uncertainty for British farmers.

"If glyphosate was not approved for use in the UK but remained available in the rest of the world, this would place domestic production at a considerable disadvantage. An EU-wide ban could even push up food prices for consumers," he warned.

Farmer Andrew Ward commented: “The report reveals what we have long feared, a glyphosate ban would reduce yields for some key crops and push up our costs. This could tip struggling farms over the edge. Reckless politics by the EU is threatening to put British farmers out of business.

"A ban would also be really bad for the environment," he added. "We’d have to use bigger vehicles and do more ploughing which would mean greater carbon emissions and less biodiversity.”