The European Union will on Monday attempt to determine the future of glyphosate, a controversial weedkiller hugely relied on by farmers but which critics say causes cancer and whose use has been thrown into doubt.

Since its introduction in the United States in 1974 by pesticides and seed maker Monsanto as Roundup, the use of glyphosate has soared across the globe.

It is sprayed on food crops but also used widely outside of agriculture, such as on public lawns and in forestry.

The EU's 28 countries, in an appeal committee, will vote on whether to renew the herbicide's licence for five years. But a member state could also table an amendment to reduce the renewal period.