NEWS COPY
By Doug Shields
Green-fingered Brits could soon be forced to weed their entire gardens by HAND if Brussels bureaucrats ban a chemical found in the biggest selling weed-killers, it has emerged.
For more than 40 years glyphosate has been the key component of weed-killers such as Round-Up, enabling keen gardeners to eradicate menaces such as knotweed, hogweed, bindweed and black grass.
But environmental activists Greenpeace and a string of anti-pesticide socialist MEPs want it banned despite it being certified as safe by numerous chemical and food safety agencies.
The European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed are due to vote on whether to renew glyphosate’s license on October 23.
The French are among the member states looking set to push for its total removal from weed-killers.
Experts fear a vote in favour of removing the chemical will leave gardeners to rely on less effective weed-killers, or even further down the line products which contain a fast-tracked replacement chemical.
Problems with Japanese knotweed have led to serious issues in the past for homeowners trying to sell their properties, and have even put some at risk of ASBO rulings as they struggled to contain the rampaging weeds.
Sarah Mukherjee, Chief Executive of the Crop Protection Association (CPA), said she was struggling to understand the rationale behind a ban on a chemical which is considered safe.
Sarah added: “Every independent scientific study into glyphosate has found it is safe for consumers, including the EU’s own European Chemicals Agency and European Food Safety Authority.
‘’Banning the use of glyphosate would be contrary to the science and cause particular problems for older gardeners who rely on this safe and effective tool to help them create and maintain a beautiful garden, simply because of political pressure from activists.”
Research has also shown a ban on weed killers containing glyphosate would add £228 million to the UK’s council tax bill each year.
The additional tax requirements for funding the alternatives would require an increase in the average household council tax bill of £7.80 – half the band D rate increase in 2015/16.
The ban could force some UK councils to spend considerable sums in capital outlays to replace conventional spraying systems with alternative approaches.
Professor John Moverley OBE, chairman of the Amenity Forum, the foremost UK-based organisation for promoting best practice in amenity pesticide use, said: ‘’At a time when Local Authorities are faced with acute budget pressures, it is important that decisions are based upon science and evidence.
‘’Nobody working in the professional amenity sector would wish to do anything to endanger public health and safety and always makes use of all options available.
‘’Any weed killer coming to market undertakes rigorous testing before it is released and during its use.’’
Glyphosate has been a permanent fixture in mass-selling sprayable weed-killers for decades, and after years of safety checks is one of the most studied chemicals in history.
But rather than renew its license last year the European Commission, under pressure from the European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI), who presented a petition of one million signatures, launched a debate into its safety, despite the EU’s own European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) finding that it is safe to use.
After months of argument and activist pressure, it now appears glyphosate’s fate will finally be decided on October 23, following a series of postponements.
Research carried out by the CPA ahead of the decision shows many British gardeners over the age of 50 believe a ban would “impact their ability to garden”.
Around half of the 2,000 over 50s who took part in a survey said they currently use a sprayable weed killer.
And 67 per cent said weeds are an issue in their gardens.
Regionally, gardeners in Yorkshire were found to be the most dedicated in England, tending to their gardens the most often and for the longest period of time.
Londoners were revealed as the least keen.
Gardeners in the North West are the most likely to decorate their gardens, with one in three saying they add ornamental features to their garden, compared to just one in five in London, who are more likely to leave things as they are.
Gardeners in the North East were the most concerned about weeds ruining their gardens, with one in five saying weeds are ‘very problematic’ for their garden - more than three times the number of gardeners who were this concerned in the West Midlands.
ENDS
