Regulatory authorities in Germany have approved the newest addition to the Roundup weedkiller brand - Roundup Gel.
Roundup Gel is already approved in the UK, and is also available in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and France. It is now expected to be available to German gardeners for the 2016 gardening season.

However, authorisation of the Roundup ingredient glyphosate comes round every 10 years in Europe, and the outcome of the latest process is expected in the next few months.

Roundup manufacturer Monsanto has recently been defending its product against claims that glyphosate causes cancer, and what it says are false reports that Roundup has been banned in certain countries.

Roundup UK business director Gary Philpotts told diyweek.net last month that the weedkiller is "not banned anywhere in Europe" and that "there isn't really any credible data that shows health risks from glyphosate".

Nevertheless, some retailers in Europe have removed glyphosate products from sale.

Announcing the authorisation of Roundup Gel in Germany, Monsanto commercial head of international lawn & garden products Ralph Dyrnes said: "We are very conscious of our responsibility towards consumers. It took a lot of investment in research and development to create a product that is even more user-friendly than spray-bottle formulations."

The gel consistency eliminates the risk of spray being blown about, and allows gardeners better targeting of weeds.

The popularity of Roundup Gel continues to rise in the UK, with unit sales up 31% year to date on the same period last year, according to GfK, while the market itself is down 1.4%. The product is now number two in the UK market.