In This Issue
Chris Pateman appointed Chair of Horticultural Trades Association
November trading sets new records
More double-digit plant growth
Ramraiders target Webbs but leave empty handed
Stax seals distribution deal with Flymo and McCulloch
German minister defied Merkel to push glyphosate extension through
Garden Re-Leaf 2018 registration now open
RHS reviews future of 'Perfect for Pollinators' labelling
Torwood Garden Centre wins hat-trick at business awards
Town & Country goes from strength to strength
Haskins donates toy reindeers to Children’s Hospital
Santa arrived in style at Squire’s Garden Centres
GCA Christmas Regional Winners Announced
Get your own copy of GTN Xtra
Lighting brightens up garden product sales
November growth for growing media sales
Sweet moment as new Christmas record set
BIZZ Holland present at IPM Essen 2018 with 60 participants
Get your tickets for the Party for Perennial
The best of last week's
We cleared out Homebase management too quickly, confesses parent company's new CEO
Glyphosate licence approved for 5 years
Brookfields becomes a winter wonderland
Santa Paws delivers memorable experiences for Pet Owners
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Buy your subscription to GTN Bestsellers
All the latest news from the world of garden centre catering
Work on new Groves Nurseries restaurant almost complete
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German minister defied Merkel to push glyphosate extension through
French president aims to ban it unilaterally within three years

Only a German minister’s decision to break his government’s voting protocol tipped the balance in favour of the five-year licence extension for glyphosate usage approved by the EC last week.

 

Conservative agriculture minister Christian Schmidt backed the extension, which had been opposed by the SPD, the junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s caretaker government alongside Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), of which Mr Schmidt is a member.

 

Mrs Merkel rebuked Mr Schmidt for the move. “This did not comply with the instructions worked out by the federal government,” she said. “I expect that such an incident will not be repeated.”

 

It is usual practice for Germany to abstain in EU votes if ministers from different parties disagree on a policy. Schmidt’s decision has strained relations between the two camps before exploratory talks on renewing their alliance.

 

Defending his decision, Schmidt said the EC would have probably decided on a longer extension if the vote had been indecisive once again. “I took the decision on my own,” Schmidt told German public television. “It falls under my responsibility.”

 

Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron of France, which had argued for a three-year extension for glyphosate and a rapid phasing out of the weedkiller,  said he would take measures to ban the product as soon as an alternative was available and at the latest within three years.

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