PPN Linkage Group Correspondence for the Environment SPC Meeting scheduled for 28th of November 2018.
The PPN Environment Linkage Group met on the 30th of October 2018 and reviewed it’s SPC Reps report on the 26th of September.
While the PPN Environment Linkage Group approves of the Dublin City Council Herbicide Use Policy (item 8 within Environment SPC 26th of September Agenda) they note that this policy does not contain a specific goal to eliminate herbicide use, much less a date to achieve this.
The PPN Environment Linkage Group proposed the following motion:
That Herbicide use be discontinued by 2020 within all DCC Parks and gardens (with the sole exception of its treatment for invasive species).
This should be seen as a significant step in the city wide ban of herbicide use.
Other countries and cities that have banned the use of Glyphosate Herbicide already include:
•
Belgium: In 2017, the Flemish
government banned individual
use of glyphosate and voted against reliciensing glyphosate in the EU. The country was
one of six EU member states to sign a letter to the EU Commission
calling for "an exit plan for
glyphosate."
• Bermuda: The island outlawed the private
and commercial sale of all glyphosate-based herbicides.
• Colombia: In 2015, the country forbid
the use of glyphosate to eliminate illegal
plantations of coca, often used to make cocaine, due to concern
that the herbicide causes cancer. However in 2017, the country reinstituted its
controversial fumigation program. But instead of using aerial
fumigation, glyphosate is now sprayed manually, from the
ground.
• Netherlands: Dutch officials have banned all
non-commercial use of glyphosate.
• Sri Lanka: In 2014, Sri Lankan President Mahinda
Rajapaksa mandated an all-out
ban on glyphosate, following a study linking
Roundup to Fatal Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), the second-leading
cause of death among males in the country. Sri Lanka was the first
country to issue a nationwide ban on glyphosate.
• El Salvador: Passed a
law banning glyphosate, citing the same study linking fatal
chronic kidney disease to Roundup.
• Middle
Eastern countries, including Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and
the United Arab Emirates, have stoppedglyphosate
use.
• France: President Emmanuel Macron announced in
Novemenber 2017, an outright ban on
glyphosate, to take effect "within three years."
(see: https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/germany-13-other-countries-say-no-glyphosate-what-about-us)
The PPN also notes that its motion on this matter (included below) was noted within the minutes of the Environment SPC Meeting for the 27th of June (12: A.O.B.) to be discussed at the 26th of September Meeting. This did not happen despite it being circulated as correspondence to members on the 7th of August. It is not included within correspondence (item 3 within the Environment SPC 26th of September Agenda).
The PPN Environment Linkage Group proposed that the following be included along with the above motion under correspondence within the SPC Meeting scheduled for 28th of November 2018:
At the April 25th Environment SPC meeting the correspondence from the last Dublin City PPN Environment Steering Group Meeting (24th of April) was to be presented under AOB. This was not possible due to time constraints.
As agreed please circulate the following items for members to review and discuss under correspondence at the next SPC meeting.
(1) At the 29th of November 2017 Environment SPC Meeting it was agreed by the committee that a motion is to be put forward by the Environment SPC to DCC to strengthen the case for herbicide elimination. This was in response to the Glyphosate Presentation delivered by Leslie Moore, City Parks Superintendent.
The PPN Environmental Linkage Group supports DCC Parks and Landscape Services in eliminating chemical sprays as a pilot in Stoneybatter.
The PPN Environmental Linkage Group puts forward the following motion:
That the elimination of chemical sprays should be rolled out city wide in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (6,11,12,14 & 15) by 2020.
This is the concluding year of the UN decade of sustainability ... so lets achieve something tangible.
The banning of weedkiller would help to fulfil on the following UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Goal # 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water
and sanitation for all (as it would preclude contamination of water
with runoff from weedkiller during rain
events)
Goal # 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable
Goal # 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production
patterns
Goal # 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seasoned
marine resources for sustainable development (again due to
eliminating the entry of poisons via rainfall and runoff to bodies
of water)
Goal # 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of
terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss
Furthermore the banning of weedkiller
would also fulfil on the National Biodiversity Plan.
Ireland’s Vision for Biodiversity is: “That
biodiversity and ecosystems in Ireland are conserved and restored,
delivering benefits essential for all sectors of society and that
Ireland contributes to efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and
the degradation of ecosystems in the EU and globally.”
Weedkiller (herbicide) impacts
wild plants and in turn, affects pollinators (including bees) who
cannot distinguish between a plant that has been sprayed and a
plant which has not, when feeding on the pollen of 'weed'
flowers.
(2) The Dublin City Public Participation Network requests in litres, the amount of herbicide used by Dublin City Council and subcontractors contracted by Dublin City Council for the years 2015,2016,2017 and in so far is possible estimated usage for 2018.
Regards
Robert Moss
PPN Environment SPC Rep