Glyphosate Ban in Hexham

15 January 2023

Hexham Council calls for toxic weed killer to be banned

THE use of potentially toxic weed killer in streets, parks and cemeteries is “contributing to the death of humanity”, a councillor has claimed.

Hexham Town Council currently uses repellent containing Glyphosate, the chemical substance which has been linked to cancer, and can have an adverse effect on wildlife.

The council is set to phase out the use of the weed killer as it urgently seeks to find a safer alternative.

But at the council’s meeting on Monday, which took place via a live video conference, Coun. John Ord called for use of the product to be banned immediately.

He said: “By spraying this poison around the streets and public spaces you are not helping the public keep safe.

“There is evidence to show that you can get cancer from this. It should not be used in public spaces.

“We are in the middle of this huge extinction and in the end it will be humans. We are contributing to the death of humanity.”

The council agreed to back a proposal from Coun. Tom Gillanders, to phase out the use of the weed killer while searching for a more environmentally friendly replacement.

Chairing the meeting, Hexham’s mayor, Coun. Bob Hull said the council would have to work closely alongside other organisations to ensure a joined-up approach across to the town.

He added: “We accept the proposal and look to a phased withdrawal, working with Northumberland County Council and Karbon Homes.”

After the meeting, members of the campaign group Extinction Rebellion Tynedale urged swift action.

Nick Morphet, who ran as the Green Party candidate at last year’s General Election, said: “Non-chemical alternatives exist, and many councils have already found them to be effective.

“Should we be killing these plants at all? Wild plants and flowers are as beautiful and fascinating as they are essential to a healthy environment. Unless there is a good reason to control them, they should be cherished and allowed to thrive.”

MAKE YOURSELVES AWARE THAT ALTERNATIVES TO USING GLYPHOSATE ARE AVAILABLE IN MOST CIRUMSTANCES, EVEN AGAINST JAPANESE KNOTWEED

Japanese Knotweed Agency is the first and currently only entity that offers a non-chemical Thermo-Electrical treatment

against Japanese Knotweed.

Delivering up to 5000 volts directly to the weed stalks and crowns, sends a massive destructive shock throughout the weed effectively boiling it in situ and it should decompose and leave no trace. It may take several treatments as would chemical treatment, but with thermo-electrical treatment, the ground is left 100% safe and chemical free. Treatment does not affect the ground or land or other foliage next to the treated weed.

Japanese Knotweed Agency will now offer this service across England and Wales throughout 2023 and beyond.

Treatment of weeds such as Japanese Knotweed can now be done safely, and without the use of Glyphosates, protecting our environments and the health of children and adults and wildlife, and is a massive step forward that has been needed for decades in line with Europe.

Read more about the Japanese Knotweed Agency and their Thermo-Electric eradication on our website: https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/rootwave/thermo-electrical-treatment/

Or call us freephone 03335 777 888

https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/18508605.calls-toxic-weed-killer-banned/

https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/a-toxic-chemical-weedkiller-glyphosate-being-sprayed-bristol-despite-pledges-progress-is-being-made-city-council/

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/marvin-rees-deliver-your-promise-to-ban-glyphosate-in-bristol

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/pressure-on-bristol-city-council-to-ban-toxic-weed-killer/

Colchester ends the use of glyphosate weedkillers

https://colchestergreenparty.co.uk/our-glyphosate-report/

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19999952.colchester-borough-homes-bans-use-harmful-weed-killer/

JAPANESE KNOTWEED AGENCY NATIONAL REGISTER – HAVE A SEARCH AND SEE IF JAPANESE KNOTWEED HAS BEEN REPORTED NEAR YOUR HOME

Further Information:

Pesticides are particularly harmful to bees, studies show.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/24/monsanto-weedkiller-harms-bees-research-finds-

Vital soil organisms being harmed by pesticides

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.643847/full

Countries that have banned Glyphosate

https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/category/glyphosate-ban-europe/

Alternative Weed control solutions

https://www.pan-uk.org/alternatives-to-herbicides-a-new-guide/

https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/rootwave/thermo-electrical-treatment/

Glyphosate Ban in Guildford

15 January 2023

Guildford votes to become a Pesticide Free Town 9 December 2021

Last night, a debate took place in Guildford’s council chambers triggered by our petition calling for Guildford to become a Pesticide Free Town. GEF is delighted to announce that following a speech by Helen Harris and Frances Rollin from our Biodiversity group as well as Nick Mole from Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Councillors voted unanimously to support the motion.

In taking this decision, Guildford joins over 60 other cities, towns and boroughs in the UK that are working to phase out their use of pesticides.

GEF looks forward to working with the Council and with PAN to put this great result into practice!

Find out why it’s so important we all stop using pesticides here: https://www.pan-uk.org/

As a GEF member, please support us by stopping using all pesticides in your garden or allotment, and encouraging your neighbours to do the same: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-make-your-garden-chemical-free-zone

Every year, our pavements, streets, parks, playgrounds and other open spaces in Guildford are sprayed with pesticides. In particular, glyphosate is used across the borough on a regular basis. Inevitably, we as Guildford residents come into contact with these pesticides, as do our children, pets and local wildlife.

Pesticides (including glyphosate) have been linked to an array of health problems, from neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to autism in children. Vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women and the elderly are most at risk of being affected.

As well as damaging human health, pesticides harm urban biodiversity. Pesticides are key contributors to the dramatic reductions in insects such as bees and other pollinators. Glyphosate has been shown to affect bees’ ability to navigate, their sleep, larval development and immunity to deadly infections (1). Glyphosate also kills flowering plants that bees and other insects rely on. This reduction in pollinators has far-reaching consequences for both wildlife and people.

Pesticides contaminate our water supply and harm aquatic life. They also poison our soils and harm soil invertebrates such as worms.

Urban pesticide use is unnecessary. Many towns and cities around the world have banned them (3). Pesticides are banned in all green public spaces across the whole of France. Copenhagen and Seattle manage their public spaces without pesticides. Councils across the UK are showing it can be done too with over 60 councils now implementing programs to phase out their use. Locally, Waverley borough, Petersfield and Chichester have all committed to phase out pesticides whilst trialing alternatives.

Well tested, cost effective and safe non-chemical alternatives to pesticides exist and are already being used in other towns locally (4). Using alternatives, or simply leaving some weeds in place to flower (where they do not cause a hazard) would have a positive impact on biodiversity and human health in Guildford.

We are asking Guildford Borough Council to phase out the use of pesticides, including glyphosate, in Guildford.

MAKE YOURSELVES AWARE THAT ALTERNATIVES TO USING GLYPHOSATE ARE AVAILABLE IN MOST CIRUMSTANCES, EVEN AGAINST JAPANESE KNOTWEED

Japanese Knotweed Agency is the first and currently only entity that offers a non-chemical Thermo-Electrical treatment

against Japanese Knotweed.

Japanese Knotweed Agency will now offer this service across England and Wales throughout 2023 and beyond.

Read more about the Japanese Knotweed Agency and their Thermo-Electric eradication on our website: https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/rootwave/thermo-electrical-treatment/

Or call us freephone 03335 777 888

https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/a-toxic-chemical-weedkiller-glyphosate-being-sprayed-bristol-despite-pledges-progress-is-being-made-city-council/

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/marvin-rees-deliver-your-promise-to-ban-glyphosate-in-bristol

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/pressure-on-bristol-city-council-to-ban-toxic-weed-killer/

Glyphosate Ban in Frome

15 January 2023

https://www.frometowncouncil.gov.uk/ftc-bans-glyphosate-with-immediate-effect-following-fresh-approach-at-last-nights-council-meeting/

In July 2016 Frome Town Council Banned Glyphosate with immediate effect following fresh approach at last night meeting.

Frome Town Council has broken from tradition and banned the ‘top table’ & extended an invitation to attend a council meeting. They encouraged local residents to get involved in decision making alongside Cllrs each other and discussed the issues on the agenda. People shared their views – and collective decisions were made.

The topic for discussion was the ever more controversial use of the chemical pesticide called Glyphosate. Although this weed-killer commonly known as Roundup by many gardeners who regularly use it, there are suspected health risks associated with glyphosate. According to the International Agency of Research for Cancer (IARC) Glyphosate is said to be carcinogenic causing cancers & tumours in humans. It is already banned in Europe & now many Councils are choosing against using Glyphosate in public places. After a good discussion, it was decided that FTC will not use glyphosate in future, and agreed to talk to Mendip District Council & Somerset County Council about their use of glyphosate in Frome.

We also agreed to discuss with the allotment association and neighbouring parishes their use of glyphosate in future.

Feedback from the meeting was very positive, with most people preferring this informal approach.

MAKE YOURSELVES AWARE THAT ALTERNATIVES TO USING GLYPHOSATE ARE AVAILABLE IN MOST CIRUMSTANCES, EVEN AGAINST JAPANESE KNOTWEED

Japanese Knotweed Agency is the first and currently only entity that offers a non-chemical Thermo-Electrical treatment against Japanese Knotweed.

Japanese Knotweed Agency will now offer this service across England and Wales throughout 2023 and beyond.

Read more about the Japanese Knotweed Agency and their Thermo-Electric eradication on our website: https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/rootwave/thermo-electrical-treatment/

Or call us freephone 03335 777 888

https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/a-toxic-chemical-weedkiller-glyphosate-being-sprayed-bristol-despite-pledges-progress-is-being-made-city-council/

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/marvin-rees-deliver-your-promise-to-ban-glyphosate-in-bristol

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/pressure-on-bristol-city-council-to-ban-toxic-weed-killer/

Glyphosate Ban in Croydon

14 January 2023

Croydon Council to end the use of glyphosate in parks and green spaces (December 5th, 2018)

Croydon Council has given its citizens an early Christmas present by committing to end the use of the controversial weed killer glyphosate in all of it public parks and green spaces.

At a full council meeting on Tuesday 3rd December, in answer to a question from Councillor Nina Degrads, Councillor Stuart Collins announced that they will use the opportunity of taking the grounds maintenance contract back in-house to end the use of glyphosate as of February 2019. He also stated that they plan to train staff in new techniques and explore feasible non-chemical options. In perhaps the most heartening part of his statement, he said that this is something that Croydon Council is committed to delivering regardless of the cost.

This fantastic result has come as part of our ongoing Pesticide-Free London campaign which saw more than 400 candidates take the ‘Pesticide-Free London pledge‘ in the run up to city-wide local elections in May. The councillors in Croydon who took the pledge have lived up to their promise and helped to deliver this outcome.

Councillor Jeremy Fitzpatrick who took the Pesticide-Free London pledge said:

Croydon is home to nearly 400,000 people. It covers a huge geographic area stretching from its inner-city northern boundary with Lambeth to its leafy Surrey borders to the south. I am very proud that from February 2019 we have committed to end the use of glyphosate in our many parks and open spaces and adopt cleaner, greener non-chemical alternatives.

In the UK, Croydon now stands as the largest urban area with the highest population to commit to ending the use of glyphosate in its parks and green spaces.

Nick Mole, Policy Officer, PAN UK:

While this is incredibly welcome it is not the end of the process. It’s great that Croydon residents will soon be able to enjoy their green spaces without having to worry about toxic pesticides and PAN UK is keen to help the Council identify suitable non-chemical alternatives. However, there is also a need to end pesticide use in other public areas under council control, such as streets and housing estates. PAN UK would be delighted to work with Croydon Council over the coming months to help extend the glyphosate ban across the borough and work towards making Croydon truly pesticide-free.

Hammersmith & Fulham became the first London borough to go pesticide-free in 2016. In addition to Croydon, a number of other boroughs are considering introducing bans or significant restrictions on pesticide use as part of our Pesticide-Free London campaign.

MAKE YOURSELVES AWARE THAT ALTERNATIVES TO USING GLYPHOSATE ARE AVAILABLE IN MOST CIRUMSTANCES, EVEN AGAINST JAPANESE KNOTWEED

Japanese Knotweed Agency is the first and currently only entity that offers a non-chemical Thermo-Electrical treatment against Japanese Knotweed.

Japanese Knotweed Agency will now offer this service across England and Wales throughout 2023 and beyond.

Read more about the Japanese Knotweed Agency and their Thermo-Electric eradication on our website: https://japaneseknotweedagency.co.uk/rootwave/thermo-electrical-treatment/

Or call us freephone 03335 777 888

https://thebristolcable.org/2021/08/a-toxic-chemical-weedkiller-glyphosate-being-sprayed-bristol-despite-pledges-progress-is-being-made-city-council/

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/marvin-rees-deliver-your-promise-to-ban-glyphosate-in-bristol

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/pressure-on-bristol-city-council-to-ban-toxic-weed-killer/

Colchester ends the use of glyphosate weedkillers – https://colchestergreenparty.co.uk/our-glyphosate-report/

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19999952.colchester-borough-homes-bans-use-harmful-weed-killer/

JAPANESE KNOTWEED AGENCY NATIONAL REGISTER
HAVE A SEARCH AND SEE IF JAPANESE KNOTWEED HAS BEEN REPORTED NEAR YOUR HOME