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Report to:
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Lead Member for
Transport and Environment
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Date of
meeting:
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22 November
2021
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By:
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Director of
Communities, Economy and Transport
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Title:
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Notice of Motion: East
Sussex County Council’s (ESCC) use of Glyphosate based
herbicide to control weeds on the Public Highway and on ESCC
property
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Purpose:
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To consider and
respond to a Notice of Motion calling for the Council to eliminate
use of Glyphosate herbicide formulation in weed control and to
provide an update on East Sussex County Council’s approach to
weed management.
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Lead Member is
recommended to recommend that the County Council rejects the Motion
for the reasons set out in the report.
1
Background Information
1.1
The following Notice of Motion has been submitted by Councillor
Maples:
“Motion
to eliminate use of glyphosate herbicide formulation in
ESCC/Highways’ weed control.
It is
recognised that there has been reduction in ESCC’s use of
glyphosate (herbicide) in ESCC green spaces, increased
collaboration with local environmentally-concerned groups and
coordination with other local authorities, in accord with the
County’s 2020 Environmental Strategy. However, as has been
made excessively clear in the recent IPCC Report, and as the
Strategy notes, ‘the pace and scale of action needs to be far
greater’.
MOTION:
East Sussex County Council agrees to request the Cabinet
to:
ban
the spraying of glyphosate formulation herbicide and other toxic
herbicides in its treatment of unwanted foliage on all council
owned land and land managed by the County Council from 01 January
2022.
Instead:
1.
Where
safe to do so, plants will be left to grow and die in their natural
cycle, supporting wildlife, addressing the Council’s
particular concern to support pollinators and other invertebrates
and in accord with the Council’s and the Government’s
commitment to bio-diversity net gain. This will further enhance
East Sussex Highway’s agreement to leave agreed wildflower
verges uncut/unmown until the end of the flowering season to
improve food sources for pollinators in accord with ESCC’s
well-publicised Environmental Strategy and Sussex Local Nature
Partnership.
2.
Where
plants cause a trip hazard for pedestrians, or weaken built
structures, alternative prevention and removal processes will be
used, to include, as appropriate:
a.
manual
and mechanical removal, including lifting at the roots and removal
of embedded soil to be replaced where appropriate with low-growth
foliage or a growth resistant medium, such as clean
sand
b.
mechanical
brushing/sweeping, especially to remove unwanted plant seeds and
thereby reduce new growth
c.
hot-foam spray
application
d.
electrical
treatment
e.
strimming.”
A
copy of the Notice of Motion and further supporting information
supplied by Councillor Maples is provided at Appendix A.
1.2
In line with County Council practice, the matter has been
referred by the Chairman to the Lead Member for Transport and
Environment for consideration to provide information and inform
debate on the Motion. The Lead Member’s recommendation on
this Notice of Motion will be reported to the Council at its
meeting on 7 December 2021.
Weed Control on Public Highway
1.3
On 28 September 2020, a report on the use of Glyphosate based
herbicide to control weeds on the public highway was considered by
the Lead Member for Transport and Environment in response to
petitions calling on the County Council to ban the use of
Glyphosate along Hastings roadsides and green spaces and in
Eastbourne, Jevington and Willingdon. The Lead Member resolved to
inform the petitioners that East Sussex County Council (ESCC) will
continue to safely use a Glyphosate based herbicide until a
suitable alternative becomes available and will work with
neighbouring authorities to continue exploring alternative options.
This report provides an update on the position set out previously
in 2020.
1.4 Weed growth in road gullies
and channels can slow down and prevent the highway drainage systems
from functioning correctly. Weeds can damage paved surfaces,
displace kerbstones and crack walls making maintenance difficult
and costly. In some circumstances weeds have been considered to
have safety implications for pedestrians by causing trip hazards,
particularly for older and disabled people, including those with
sight loss and/or reduced mobility. Weeds can also give the general
perception of untidiness. The Well Managed Highway Infrastructure
Code of Practice states that “weed treatment should therefore
be undertaken according to traffic and pedestrian usage and to a
level of usage that takes account of local concerns. The use of
weed-killers should be the minimum compatible with the required
results”.
1.5 ESCC Highways carry out one
weed spray a year on 3081km of channels, footpaths, central
reservations, and traffic islands to manage and maintain vegetation
on the highway network, using a herbicide that contains Glyphosate.
Spraying is carefully controlled and limited in use to only where
weeds are found.
1.6 Alternatives to Glyphosate
have and continue to be reviewed internally and externally with
relevant stakeholders from neighbouring County Councils, Town
Councils and District and Borough Councils.
1.7 ESCC Highways aim to trial
potential alternative weed maintenance methods in select areas in
2022 with the aim of working towards introducing new methods as
part of the next highways maintenance contract in May 2023.
Weed Control on Other Council Land and Services
1.8 ESCC has a legal duty to
control invasive species and at present Glyphosate is used to
discharge those duties and the Property team holds a contract with
Glendale for grounds maintenance, including all ESCC assets and a
number of school sites. 20 litres of Glyphosate per annum is
used in weed control for over 150 sites.
1.9 Without suitable weed
control, ESCC owned land would be at risk of further invasive weed
infestations and the spreading of them. Long shaggy vegetation will
also mask Ash die back sapling regrowth along verges and land.
1.10 Currently there is not an equivalent
to Glyphosate on the market that provides efficient weed control as
required, so a complete ban would not be feasible. However, ESCC
Property would support a phased reduction in the use of Glyphosate
and continue to monitor other options as they come to the market,
as well as options for rewilding to support greater biodiversity.
Corporate sites could be used for trialling new methods ahead of
the Glyphosate licence coming to an end in 2025, however this would
likely incur additional costs for labour and materials.
1.11 There may also be circumstances where
ESCC owns the land or property, but it is either leased to third
parties or managed by third parties under management agreements
which would need to be considered to reflect any restrictions on
the use of herbicides.
2 Supporting
Information
2
2.1
ESCC uses a Glyphosate based herbicide from the Health and Safety
Executive’s (HSE) Pesticides Register of UK Authorised
Products and that is suitable for use on highways. To allow time
for the development of a new UK active substance renewal program
post-Brexit, a three-year extension has been provided by HSE under
the new UK pesticides regulation regime. This should apply to
Glyphosate meaning that the expiry date for the licence has been
extended until at least December 2025 in the UK.
2.2
The total cost of weed control in the Highways contract is
approximately £55,000 per year fixed for the period of the
current highways contract.
Current Application
and Usage
2.3
Glyphosate herbicide is widely used by Local Authorities to manage
weeds on the highway network and even authorities that have
trialled alternative methods of weed control continue to use
Glyphosate in some circumstances.
2.4
The herbicide application in highway maintenance is currently
carried out using a bespoke spraying machine based on a mini
tractor, with a knapsack sprayer used in the difficult to reach
areas. The weed spraying is only carried out by National
Proficiency Test Council (NPTC) pesticide application competent
operators. The average output is 22km in an 8-hour working
day.
2.5
The herbicide is applied to weeds in channels and on footpaths at a
ratio of 95% water to 5% herbicide. At this approved rate of
application, it is harmless to all mammalian species and birds. It
is also approved for use near watercourses.
2.6
The type of spray used enters the plant through its leaves and
breaks down the weed’s cell structure rather than killing it
on contact. The spray makes sure that all parts of the plant are
broken down and slows down any regrowth. Once the weeds have been
sprayed it can take between 10 and 14 days for the herbicide to
take effect.
2.7
Weed spraying is not undertaken on rainy or windy days to reduce
wastage and the travel of the herbicide and treatments within high
foot traffic or high sensitivity areas, and are carried out in
accordance with Guidelines for Herbicide Application in
Neighbouring Areas. See Appendix B for full risk assessments and
method statements for use of Glyphosate on the highway
network.
Alternative Methods of
Control
2.8
Alternative methods of controlling weeds on highways have been
trialled by a number of other highway authorities including:
FoamStream, Hand Weeding, Acetic Acid (Vinegar), and Thermal and
Mechanical methods. See Appendix C for further details. All of
these alternatives have been found to be either not suitable for
the need, less effective and require multiple treatments with
variable results or are inefficient for highways use at the present
time.
2.9
For example, Sussex Rail (the East Sussex Highways sub-contractor
for weed control) provided an estimate for using Foam Stream, a
low-pressure process, combining heat with biodegradable foam, in
the Hastings area of £90,340 per application. This is five
times the current cost for Hastings weed control of approximately
£18,000. Kent County Council trialled hot foam (Foam Stream)
but noted that it required more frequent visits to effectively
treat weeds. It is therefore likely that 2-3 applications would be
required in Hastings to have the same effect as the current
treatment. The cost therefore would be between £180,000 to
£270,000 to treat weeds in Hastings for two or three
treatments. Scaling this across the county using this method could
cost between £540,000 to £810,000 for two or three
treatments respectively. It should also be noted that it is unclear
if there is sufficient capacity within this industry at this time
to deliver such a large programme of works using this method.
2.10
Acetic Acid and thermal lancing have proved even less effective and
produced even worse results than the hot foam method.
2.11
Hand pulling is very labour intensive and generally does not remove
the roots meaning rapid regrowth, and whilst no direct figures are
currently available for this method, this will have a higher cost
per metre than hot foam as productivity will be limited and there
are additional costs for collection and disposal.
Proposed Trials for
2022
2.12
However, ESCC is continually exploring options to try and find an
alternative to Glyphosate that would be applicable to the highway
network and other property assets and is currently exploring three
alternative techniques in highways, with the aim to trial them in
selected areas for 2022. These include Foam Stream in small select
areas, the ‘opt out’ approach and reactive weeding, see
Appendix D for full details on the potential trials.
2.13
In addition, from discussions with other authorities, street
cleansing can significantly help reduce weeds by removing the
detritus in channels they grow in. Therefore, ESCC is also
continuing discussions with District and Borough Councils with the
aim to work more closely with street cleansing programmes to reduce
weeds where possible on the highway.
2.14 The
issue of weed control has recently been discussed at the Place
Scrutiny Committee and the Committee may wish to consider the
ongoing approach and outcome of any trials in due
course.
3 Conclusion
and Reasons for Recommendations
3
3.1
The Council is aware of the concerns about Glyphosate, notes the
concerns raised by some councillors and residents and is committed
to finding an alternative. Meanwhile we ensure that the authority
meets its statutory duties of maintaining a safe and usable highway
network. There are also difficulties in implementing a complete ban
on the use of herbicides on all Council owned land and land managed
by the County Council as outlined in paragraph 1.10 above.
3.2
Therefore, at present the Council will continue to safely use a
Glyphosate based herbicide, until a suitable alternative becomes
available, as it is the most effective and efficient weed control
method as an approved licenced product applied in accordance with
best practice. Glyphosate is on the list of the Health and
Safety Executive’s GB Pesticides Regulation Regime licenced
and registered products and ESCC is actively researching
alternatives, but at present there is no alternative weed
maintenance technique that is economically viable.
3.3
However, the Lead Member is asked to note the proposed trials for
alternative weed maintenance techniques in 2022 with the aim of
working towards introducing new methods as part of the next
highways maintenance contract in 2023. It should also be noted that
it may not be possible to eliminate the occasional use of
herbicides for non-highways use.
3.4
Therefore the Lead Member is recommended to recommend that the
County Council rejects the Notice of Motion.
Director of Communities, Economy
and Transport
Contact Officer: Dale
Poore
Tel. No. 01273 481916
Email: dale.poore@eastsussex.gov.uk
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BACKGROUND
DOCUMENTS
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