Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prohibiting the use of weed killers such as glyphosate.

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides, including weed killers, is to ensure that they will not harm people or pose unacceptable risks to the environment. Pesticides are only authorised following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.

We recently held a useful and informative roundtable event with some local authorities to discuss the work they had done to reduce the use of glyphosate and other weed killers in the urban environment.

Active substances used in pesticides are periodically reviewed to ensure they still meet safety standards and requirements set out in legislation. We will consider the GB position on glyphosate when its approval is next due for renewal.