Is glyphosate still authorized in France? The short answer is nuanced: to date, glyphosate is not banned as a substance, but its use is strictly regulated. It has been prohibited for private individuals since 2019 and remains reserved for certain professional uses, mainly agricultural.
This non-selective herbicide, originally marketed under the Roundup brand by Monsanto, is the most widely used herbicide in France and worldwide. It also remains one of the most controversial phytosanitary products. Between French regulations, European decisions, and debates about its toxicity, here is a clear and updated overview of what the law says, the arguments for and against, and the existing alternatives.
Is glyphosate still authorized in France?
Yes, glyphosate remains authorized in France, but only within a restricted framework. The active substance is approved at the European level, and several glyphosate-based herbicides still have marketing authorization.
However, not everyone has the right to buy or use it. French regulations clearly distinguish private individuals, who are now excluded, from professionals, who retain regulated access. This distinction causes confusion: glyphosate is neither completely banned nor freely available.
What the Labbé law says: the ban for private individuals
The most important rule to remember concerns amateur gardeners. Since January 1, 2019, the Labbé law prohibits private individuals from buying, possessing, and using synthetic phytopharmaceutical products, including glyphosate-based herbicides, for maintaining gardens, vegetable patches, paths, and terraces.
Practically, this means that private individuals can no longer legally obtain glyphosate in garden centers for weed control at home. Gardening stores have removed these products from their shelves in favor of biocontrol solutions. Use by a private individual, even in a private setting, is subject to penalties.
This ban is part of a broader effort to reduce chemical products in green spaces. Local authorities are also no longer allowed to use glyphosate to maintain parks, sidewalks, vegetated areas, and public spaces.
Who can still use glyphosate?
The use of glyphosate remains authorized for professionals, primarily farmers. Several conditions apply:
- The user must be a professional holding the individual certificate for phytopharmaceutical products, the Certiphyto.
- Purchases are made through approved distribution networks, not in general public garden centers.
- Use must be justified, meaning reserved for situations where no technical, economic, or operational alternative is available. This principle is overseen by Anses, the French health agency.
French landscapers, farmers, and other professionals in the sector can therefore continue to use it to weed large areas, treat grasses and stubborn weeds, or prepare a plot before re-cultivation, respecting the doses and authorized uses indicated on the label.
The European Union’s position: approval until 2033
French regulations are part of a European framework. The European Commission renewed glyphosate approval for ten years, until 2033. This decision was made after evaluation by European health agencies, with the substance approved again at the end of the procedure.
However, the European regulation allows each member state to apply stricter rules on its territory. This is exactly what France does, with regulations stricter than the European average. Other countries like Spain, Italy, or Poland maintain broader access for professionals.
At the national level, each country is responsible for evaluating and authorizing or not each marketed plant protection product, meaning each formulation, not just the active substance. Germany served as the rapporteur state during a previous European evaluation.
How is glyphosate used when authorized?
When a professional is authorized to use it, glyphosate is diluted in a sprayer and then sprayed on the foliage of the weeds. Its systemic action means that once sprayed on the leaves, the product travels down to the roots and destroys the plant deeply, making it effective against grasses and the most stubborn plants.
A few principles govern this use:
- The Certiphyto certificate is required to purchase and apply the product.
- Wearing protective equipment is also mandatory during preparation and spraying.
- Application is done on weeds in full vegetative growth, in dry and windless weather, often in spring or autumn, by finely adjusting the sprayer to target the leaves of the plants.
- The doses and authorized uses are listed on the label and must be followed.
For details on doses, equipment, and precautions, consult our complete guide on how to use a glyphosate herbicide.
Glyphosate and health: what does science say?
This is the heart of the controversy and the subject on which agencies disagree. Concerns about glyphosate’s toxicity have crystallized around Monsanto’s Roundup, a company since acquired by Bayer. Two approaches must be distinguished.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans. This evaluation concerns hazard, meaning the intrinsic ability of the substance to cause an effect, and it studied both glyphosate alone and commercial formulations containing other components.
Conversely, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and Anses in France consider that the data do not allow glyphosate to be classified as carcinogenic. ECHA confirmed this position in 2022. These agencies reason in terms of risk, that is, hazard relative to the actual level of exposure.
This methodological divergence—hazard versus risk—and the fact that agencies do not rely on exactly the same studies explain most of the disagreement on glyphosate’s carcinogenicity. Exposure also varies depending on the population: the general public is mainly exposed through food residues, while farmers handle the product directly, which justifies wearing protective equipment.
Glyphosate and the environment: impacts on wildlife and flora
Beyond human health, glyphosate is also criticized for its effects on the environment. Being a non-selective herbicide, it destroys almost all plants it contacts, which impoverishes spontaneous flora and, indirectly, the habitats on which insects and other animals depend.
The main environmental concerns focus on the reduction of plant biodiversity, possible contamination of soils and waters, and effects on wildlife linked to the disappearance of certain plants. These arguments fuel the demand for a reduction in herbicide use, or even a total ban requested by several associations.
Conversely, supporters of the product point out that its regulated use, as a replacement for plowing, can limit soil erosion and emissions related to mechanical work. This is one of the arguments in the agricultural debate.
Why maintain or ban glyphosate? The arguments at stake
The debate is between positions that are difficult to reconcile.
Supporters of maintaining it put forward several reasons: glyphosate is very effective, low cost, and there is not always an equally simple alternative for certain agricultural uses. Its sudden removal would increase the cost of some productions and complicate weeding of large areas.
Supporters of the ban emphasize the precautionary principle in light of the IARC classification, the impacts on the environment and biodiversity, as well as soil and groundwater pollution. Citizen and association pressure remains strong on this point.
Between the two, the current French position is to gradually reduce uses, to ban the substance where alternatives exist, and to keep it only for cases where it remains indispensable.
Alternatives to glyphosate
Whether you are a farmer, gardener, permaculturist, or a simple gardening enthusiast, alternative weeding solutions to chemical weeding exist, with varying results on unwanted plants in vegetable gardens as well as pathways.
For private individuals, who no longer have access to glyphosate, the authorized solutions are:
- biocontrol products based on pelargonic acid, which act quickly on the foliage of young weeds,
- white vinegar based on acetic acid, which burns leaves on the surface but does not reach the roots,
- boiling water and thermal weeding,
- mechanical weeding with a hoe, by uprooting or with a brush cutter,
- mulching, which limits weed emergence as a preventive measure.
For farmers and permaculturists, the levers are more structural: crop rotation, cover crops, false sowing, mechanical stubble cultivation, and emerging solutions like electric or robotic weeding. These methods often require more time or investment, which explains why glyphosate is still used where no equivalent alternative is considered available.
What are the future prospects for glyphosate?
In the short term, the situation seems stable. The European approval until 2033 has fixed the framework, and no major new national ban is expected immediately in France. Private individuals will remain excluded, professionals will retain conditional access.
In the longer term, the trend is towards reduction. Regulatory pressure is pushing the industry to develop new molecules and non-chemical weeding solutions. Other herbicides like dicamba are sometimes mentioned as substitute products, but they also raise health and environmental concerns. The future of glyphosate will largely depend on the ability of these alternatives, whether chemical or based on cover crops, to become as reliable and economical for uses where it remains difficult to replace today.
Frequently asked questions about glyphosate regulation
Is glyphosate still authorized in products sold in France? Yes, glyphosate-based herbicides still have market authorization, but their sale is reserved for professionals through approved networks. Sales to private individuals in garden centers have been prohibited since 2019.
What is the status of glyphosate for private individuals?
Private individuals cannot buy, possess, or use glyphosate since the Labbé law came into effect on January 1, 2019. They must turn to biocontrol alternatives or natural methods.
Is glyphosate carcinogenic?
The IARC classifies it as probably carcinogenic, but EFSA, ECHA, and Anses do not classify it as carcinogenic. This disagreement stems from different evaluation methods, one based on hazard, the other on risk related to exposure.
What is the regulation for French farmers?
Farmers can use glyphosate provided they hold the Certiphyto, respect authorized uses, and only resort to it when no viable alternative exists.
Are there effective alternatives for farmers?
Yes: crop rotation, cover crops, mechanical stubble cultivation, biocontrol, and thermal or electric weeding. Their effectiveness varies depending on the crops, and cost remains a barrier.
Will glyphosate be banned in France?
No total ban is planned in the short term, with European approval running until 2033. However, the trend remains towards the gradual reduction of use.
Conclusion
Glyphosate is therefore not banned in France, but its use is reserved for authorized professionals, with private individuals excluded since 2019. The topic remains controversial, divided between health, environmental, and agricultural concerns on which scientific agencies themselves do not fully agree. For the general public, the key is to know this legal framework before any purchase or use, and to turn to alternatives when glyphosate is not accessible.
Authorized professionals can find a selection of total glyphosate herbicide, to be used in strict compliance with regulations and the instructions on the label.
