Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world. It is a broad-spectrum herbicide, i.e. it kills any plant unless it has been genetically modified in such a way so as to be resistent. Glyphosate is more commonly known under the brand name "Roundup" manufactured by the American agrochemical company Monsanto (now owned by Bayer).

Glyphosate was deemed safe for a long time. Recently, evidence emerged that glyphosate may be harmful for humans, animals, and the environment. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a report according to which glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans". In May 2016, however, the Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) – an expert body administered jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – concluded that glyphosate is "not carcinogenic". This assessment is shared by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung, BfR), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the US. The different conclusions result from different assessment standards. IARC examines whether a certain substance can cause cancer in principle, whereas EFSA and FAO/WHO investigates whether the de facto use of glyphosate causes cancer.

Glyphosate is currently approved in the EU until 15 December 2022. On 12 December 2019, a group of companies (the so-called Glyphosate Renewal Group) applied for the renewal of approval of glyphosate. This application will be reviewed by a group of four EU member states: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Sweden (the so-called Assessment Group on Glyphosate).