This year the EU will decide on the re-approval of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, the world's most popular and controversial weed killer. Exposure to the herbicide not only poses a risk to human health and other living organisms, it also threatens biodiversity and the future of agriculture. Published [...]
With a climate change emergency, collapsing biodiversity and a global health crisis underway it is imperative that our urban spaces become healthier places for people and wildlife. The body of evidence linking pesticides to serious human health and environmental harms is growing, as is the movement to end their use. [...]
By Stuart Fraser, Kersten UK Hello readers of the PAN UK blog, I work for a company called Kersten UK. Our business specialises in chemical-free integrated weed management and we’d love to share some of our thoughts with you on the topic. We’ve noticed a trend of public bodies moving [...]
by Sam Watson Jones, co-founder of Small Robot Company and fourth generation Shropshire farmer 'Harry' prototype robot with Sam Watson Jones, co-founder of Small Robot Company, Andrew Hoad, Partner & Head of the Leckford Estate, and Joe Allnutt, Head of Robot Awesomeness (credit Geoff Pugh) We’re living on [...]
by Karen Rigby-Faux, Community Liaison Officer, Burleys Burleys, with its Royal Warrant, is a grounds maintenance company that has been in existence for more than 50 years. Burleys’ main clients include local authorities, the police, numerous sports clubs and schools across the South East. These are large contracts which involve maintaining public [...]
by Hélène Rudlin (with contributions from Emily Hirst), Whalley Rangers There is a strong sense of community in Whalley Range; we love our streets, we care about gardening, and there are always activities taking place that contribute to making our environment an even more pleasant place to live, [...]
by Keith Tyrell, Director, PAN UK On Friday, 10th August, a jury in California came to a momentous judgement: it agreed with a school groundsman’s claim that his rare form of cancer was caused by exposure to the herbicide known as Roundup. The case has huge implications for glyphosate – the [...]
by Dr Primo Chavarria, Weed Scientist, Costa Rica (This post is part of a summary of presentations prepared by Dr Stephanie Williamson, PAN UK, from the Coffee without HHPs workshop in Costa Rica, April 2017) Key messages: Avoid excessive or inappropriate use of glyphosate and other herbicides. Spraying several times [...]
by Nick Mole, Policy Officer, PAN UK (2nd August 2018) On 26th April, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released the results of its latest survey into pesticides used in the amenity sector in the UK. This is the second such survey and it looks at use reported in 2016 [...]
by Josie Cohen, Head of Policy and Campaigns (1st August 2018) On a scorching hot Friday in June, forty decision-makers responsible for managing public spaces around London gathered in Hammersmith for the first ever Pesticide-Free London workshop. Those in attendance included elected councillors and council officers from two-thirds of London [...]
PAN Europe has published an updated edition of its report on alternatives to glyphosate as a contribution to the ongoing discussions among some Member States, led by France, on phasing out glyphosate and promoting alternatives. On the fringe of next week’s gathering of the EU agricultural ministers (Tuesday, 16 July), France will [...]
Glyphosate isn’t the only pesticide applied in towns and cities but it is certainly the most widely-used. It is sprayed by local councils and other land managers as a weedkiller in many of our green, urban spaces. Concerned citizens wanting their council (or other land managers) to stop using glyphosate come [...]
