County ‘needs to stop using this chemical’ says North Herefordshire MP

North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns has urged county chiefs to stop using a “probable carcinogen” in public spaces.

A Freedom of Information request to Herefordshire Council revealed that in the last calendar year, its contractors used 100 litres of a herbicide, Roundup Proactive whose active ingredient is glyphosate, to control weeds.

Dr Chowns said: “While I appreciate the hard work our council undertakes to keep our green spaces attractive, [this] is nevertheless a reminder of how we need to phase out public-sector pesticide use.”

She backs a Bill currently being put forward in Parliament by her Green Party colleague Siân Berry to ban councils and other public authorities from using “professional plant protection products” in public areas, of which glyphosate is the most widely used.

“Glyphosate has been classed as a probable carcinogen by the World Health Organisation since 2015, and its overuse can harm the very wildlife, from birds to hedgehogs, that enriches our green spaces, not to mention running off into our waterways,” Dr Chowns said.

She pointed out that over 100 local authorities “have already demonstrated that reducing or ending pesticide use publicly is both possible and popular”.

“We should start the necessary work to do the same here in Herefordshire,” she said.

Among them, Cambridge City Council is trialling a mixture of mechanical (weed brushes, sweepers, manual extraction), thermal (hot foam, hot air), and cultural approaches on its “journey” to becoming glyphosate-free.

Backing the Green Party’s Bill, campaign group Pesticide Action Network UK said it “urges the UK government to follow the examples of European countries such as France, Luxembourg and Denmark, which have successfully banned pesticide use in public spaces”.

Herefordshire Council was asked whether it has any plans to reduce or withdraw the use of glyphosate. The Green Party group of county councillors was also asked for comment.

Meanwhile former council leader and current Independents for Herefordshire councillor David Hitchiner said last week that along the lower end of Belmont Road in Hereford there is “plenty of opportunity for residents and visitors to pause and admire the weeds”, which he said should be cleared more regularly.

Cabinet member for roads Coun Barry Durkin replied that the section is “cleared on an ad-hoc basis when the need arises”, but that more routine maintenance of such areas “can be explored” when a new public realm contractor is appointed next year.