‘We must find sustainable alternatives to glyphosate weed-treatment’

The health of our citizens should be a leading concern of councils.  We shouldn’t be paranoid about chemical compounds – the air we breathe is one – but this should be clean. Concerns about particulates mainly from vehicles are being, rightly, though slowly, addressed.

Glyphosate, a herbicide but also a pesticide, has been on an international watch-list for cancer risk and also for its damage to our biodiversity. Bugs, bees, birds, hedgehogs and humans depend on a sustainable ecosystem that is essential to maintaining survival on our home planet.

At January’s Full Council meeting on January 15 2019 I am seeking approval for finding sustainable alternatives to glyphosate weed-treatment on Bristol’s roads and in our parks, and so phasing out its use over three years. The mayor signed up to this in his 2016 election vision but despite many promptings, this good intention has not progressed. The mayor has said that this is only due to there being no financially-viable alternative treatments. Many others, including myself, want the chance to do a desk-top examination of existing best practice and bring forward realistic alternatives.

I have been an environmentalist since university, and a Lib Dem – the only party to consistently campaign for a sustainable world. I questioned our weed-treatment choices when chairing a scrutiny commission in 2013 where we pressed for a trial of alternatives. I volunteered my Cotham ward for the trial, and of the five options then available, only one, vinegar, was tested (incompletely). Steam, foam and non-systemic weed-killers were all dismissed without deep practical analysis.

Much has been made of the increased potency of a systemic (root-killing) treatment, but despite this I get many resident complaints each year about lush weed growth – so glyphosate is far from foolproof.

Since then, another option, pelargonic acid, emerged during the only subsequent meeting I managed to get this administration to convene to move this forward; they failed to obtain a licence to trial this at the time. All attempts to follow up were rebuffed.

Progressive local authorities in this country and abroad are closing down or phasing out their use of glyphosate treatments, including such local organisations as Bristol Zoo and the University of Bristol. What can we learn about how they are achieving this?

Bristol City Council, through its Bristol Waste Company, sprays weeds in our roads and parks. We could decide to phase out glyphosate here and at the same time show leadership to the many other organisations and agencies (including schools and nurseries that have their own weed-treatment contracts, and where children are particularly vulnerable). Bristol Waste has accepted local arrangements that I have brokered in Cotham where defined areas are manually cleared of weeds by residents and as a result are not sprayed.

We are trying to assist the mayor to deliver his promise by showing how we can close the gap between current undesirable practice and, by meaningfully reviewing the experience of others, effective viable solutions applied to Bristol. Normally a leading authority, we are now seeking to catch up with the good practice set by others.

There may need to be some tough choices, but when is the price of safe, clean air too high?

Anthony Negus is a Liberal Democrat councillor for Cotham.