Mayor rejects petition plea to ban toxic chemical

On Tuesday, Auckland Mayor, Len Brown was presented with a petition of 3,700 signatures calling on him to ban the use of the vegetation control chemical Glyphosate (aka Roundup) on Auckland's roads and parks.

Georgina Blackmore of the group Spray Free Streets said “we launched this petition last year after the World Health Organisation’s, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. But this demand is not just about cancer risks. This chemical has been intensely debated for decades because it has been linked to many other health problems and environmental issues.”

Mayor Brown made his position clear on the disputed chemical, clarifying that Council will continue to use glyphosate because they take their advice from the Environmental Protection Agency and the EPA have not reassessed its classification.

Ms Blackmore appealed to the Mayor, saying “since the ruling from IARC; countries, cities and councils around the world have restricted or banned its use in public spaces. They didn’t do that because the EPA told them to. They did it because it poses an unacceptable risk.”

In response to the meeting, Ms Blackmore said “People are extremely concerned that Mayor Brown continues to assert that Council is following EPA guidance which says glyphosate is safe to use. The EPA has not reassessed glyphosate since new evidence has come to light and may not reassess it for many years. During that time we are all exposed to it on a daily basis.”

Last week, Christchurch City Council decided to phase out the use of glyphosate and other councils such as Tauranga, Rotorua and Hastings are currently investigating alternatives to chemicals.

Ms Blackmore said, “The Auckland Weed Management Policy says that chemicals should only be used as a last resort and promotes a duty of care to citizens.”

In the meeting, the Mayor admitted that the public has a different interpretation of the way the policy should be implemented to those who are actually implementing it.

“He chose his words with me very carefully”, Ms Blackmore states. “He made sure not to say that his operatives were implementing the policy incorrectly. He said that there are many interpretations of it and he proposes to clarify that.”

The Weed Management Policy was the result of years of work and subject to a wide consultation process with local boards, community groups and citizens.

“Ultimately, it’s a straight-forward policy” Ms Blackmore states. “We just need our Council to follow it by minimising the use of chemicals, not increasing them as they have been doing. I felt sick to my stomach when the Mayor proposed to open up the policy to debate in a committee meeting and that this may result in changes to the policy. If the wrong people get their hands on it, they could overturn it.

“Offering to debate the policy is a poisoned chalice disguised as meaningful engagement”, she said.

ENDS

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