EPA walked away from a legal battle on its interim determination that glyphosate is likely not carcinogenic to people, telling the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this week the agency will instead focus on Roundup’s ongoing registration review expected to be completed in 2026.

EPA withdrew the legal challenge because the agency was unable to meet the court’s Oct. 1 deadline to complete an Endangered Species Act review and conduct a new health-assessment analysis. EPA said such a process would take many months to complete.

When it comes to the ongoing registration review of glyphosate, the EPA said withdrawing from the legal case doesn’t mean it’s necessarily changing its position on the human-health assessment.

EPA said the court action does not mean the conclusion was “either incorrect or cannot be used as support for a future decision following reconsideration in accordance with the court’s decision.”

However, the agency said it intends to “revisit and better explain” its evaluation of glyphosate’s potential carcinogenic effects on people.

Bayer AG has decided to stop selling Roundup to residential customers beginning in 2023. However, the company said it will continue to sell Roundup for agricultural uses.

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