23 June 2016

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

The East Grinstead Town Council is aware of a petition demanding that the Council stop using weedkillers which include Glyphosate. The petition says that the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that toxic glyphosate chemicals are “probably carciogenic”.

The Joint FAO/WHO meeting on Pesticide Residues which met in Geneva between 9 and 13 May 2016  issued a summary report dated 16 May 2016 which states “the meeting concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through diet.”

The full report referring to the tests, studies, conclusions and are available at www.who.int.

The weedkillers that the Council use are lower grade than many off the shelf weedkillers, Monsanto Roundup is a weedkiller that is used by the Council and contains Glyphosate.  It is registered for use in the UK at this time and remains in use at the East Grinstead Town Council, should the registration or WHO opinion change this will be reviewed.