Pesticides: a life ruined by glyphosate
But 30 years of exposure to glyphosate has shattered his dreams and his existence. He was diagnosed five years ago with an intravascular B-cell lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. It has been recognised as an occupational disease.
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and also the most controversial. It has been classified as 'probably carcinogenic' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) since 2015. More recent studies from research institutes such as the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) have established a likely link between exposure to the chemical and certain forms of cancer.
Yet, the European Union has extended its authorisation until 2033, relying on studies by EFSA and ECHA, the European authorities for food and chemical safety.
Several environmental and consumer rights organisations challenged the decision before the European Court of Justice last April.
The gap between assessments results from the methodologies used by research institutes and European regulatory agencies, according to Xavier Coumoul, a toxicologist and researcher at Inserm in France. 'When a pesticide manufacturer wants to market a product, the regulatory agencies require the manufacturer to conduct its own tests to prove the product is safe,' he explains.
This process raises many questions surrounding the independence of these surveys.
'EFSA gives little consideration to epidemiological studies and relies considerably on what the industry provides, whereas Inserm or IARC rely much more on the academic literature and monitoring real-life product use.'
Ludovic Maugé, whose life now hangs by a thread, is among those for whom the product's toxicity is undeniable. After undergoing more chemotherapy than is usually permitted, his last hope, he says, is a transplant using his own modified stem cells. It's a vanishingly small chance. 'As my oncologist told me, we can no longer speak of a cure,' he confides.
Since his cancer was recognised as an occupational disease, Ludovic receives a modest social allowance, along with monthly compensation of 180 euros from Bayer-Monsanto — which manufactured the product that poisoned him.
'It's a pittance, but I don't care. What mattered most to me was to see my illness recognised as work-related.'
Despite his daily ordeal, Ludovic, who can no longer work, wants to take his fight further. 'What I want is to spread the message to everyone. Glyphosate destroyed my life — it poisoned me. These products destroy people and destroy nature,' he insists. He is outraged by the EU's decision to renew glyphosate's authorisation.
'When I see politicians reauthorising these products, it makes me furious. It's the pesticide lobby. Unfortunately, we can't do anything against these politicians and Bayer-Monsanto. If I had one thing to say to the European Union, it's this: just ban these products. That's it.'
The EU is unlikely to suspend its association agreement with Israel in the context of its current conflict with Iran, sources familiar with the issue have told Euronews.
Last month a majority of the EU foreign ministers backed a Dutch proposal to review the bloc's ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza.
The EU's diplomatic corps, the External Action Service (EEAS), has been reviewing the bloc's wide-ranging trade and cooperation agreement with Israel over its military offensive in Gaza and the West Bank as well as its blocking of food, fuel, water and basic medical supplies to the besieged population.
The report was initiated to establish whether Israel violated its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, a broad-ranging pact that defines the trading and diplomatic relations between both sides.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers will debate the review, with several EU diplomatic sources saying it expected to find Israel in breach of the provisions.
But two sources familiar with the issue told Euronews that member states will not respond by suspending in all, or even part the agreement with Israel due to its war with Iran.
Some countries remain keen to push for a suspension. 'We can safely assume what the review will say; if it's going to be in any way credible it'll say Israel is in breach of Article 2,' an EU diplomat from a country which supported the review told Euronews, adding: 'The main matter of business is getting a ceasefire in Gaza – and whatever we decide to do, it should be aimed at getting at that.'
But a momentum of pressure recently applied to Israel has now slowed due to the war with Iran, the two sources said.
'The pendulum has swing back to [support for] Israel."
'It's unlikely the EU will suspend EU-Israel agreement due to Iran Israel war,' one of the sources said.
The position of Germany in the negotiations is also critical to the discussions as a decision to suspend part of the agreement under qualified majority voting will require the weight of Germany.
Last month German chancellor Friedrich Merz shifted the support of Germany - traditionally a stalwart ally of Israel - behind the decision to review the Association Agreement, saying he no longer understood the Israeli army's goal in Gaza.
'To harm the civilian population in such a way… can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism,' Merz said at the time.
However, Merz has strongly supported Israel in the context of the current strikes on Iran saying at the G7 on Tuesday that 'Israel is doing the dirty work for the rest of us'.
'The strikes on Iran should be additional pressure on Israel to suspend the association agreement,' Martin Konecki, who heads the European Middle East Project, told Euronews.
'But now it could create the opposite, it will literally be reduced and it brings the attention away from Gaza,' he said.
EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has reiterated EU calls for a diplomatic resolution to the Israel-Iran war. And again called on all sides to 'abide by international law, and de-escalate the situation'.
'We will not lose sight of what is happening in Gaza... we again call for immediate full aid access, ceasefire, and the release of hostages,' she added.
Israel rejected the EU decision to review the bloc's trade and cooperation pact with the country over its intensified offensive in Gaza.
"We completely reject the direction taken in the statement, which reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing," Marmorstein wrote on X,' Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said at the time of the decision.
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