URBAN/AMENITY PESTICIDES: UK GOVERNMENT BRIEFING
January 2025
This briefing sets out how the UK government can support councils in phasing-out the use of pesticides in villages, towns and cities.
Since 2015, over one hundred councils across the UK have either ended their use of pesticides or taken significant steps towards doing so (fifty are entirely pesticide-free), without any support from central government.
The UK should follow the examples of France, Denmark and Luxembourg, which have all successfully banned pesticide use in public spaces.
Pesticide use in urban areas only constitutes approximately ten percent of the UK’s total usage, but it is the second most common route through which people are exposed to pesticides (after diet).
This briefing is based on feedback from UK councillors and council officers regarding the kind of support they need from central government.
Legislation
The most important thing that the government can do is introduce legislation that would prohibit local authorities – followed by other public authorities –from using pesticides in villages, towns and cities.
We have drafted a bill which outlines what a national ban on amenity pesticides would look like. In summary:
6 The restrictions would firstly apply to local authorities, followed by other public authorities
6 The legislation would set out exemptions, so that the ban will not apply to the use of pesticides which are necessary to prevent serious risks to public safety, public health and public infrastructure or serious risks to the environment
6 The legislation would require the Secretary of State to publish guidance to assist local and public authorities in phasing out their use of pesticides
* https://www.pan-europe.info/sites/pan-europe.info/files/public/ resources/reports/PFT_A%20Diversity%20of%20European%20 Approaches_25-03.pdf
Many councils across the UK have decided independently to go pesticide-free. However, without national legislation or guidance from central government, they have been left to chart their own course. This has resulted in the issues around pesticide use and weeds being weaponised by various political parties at the local level, and the topic has become enveloped in the ‘culture wars’ that we have seen play out in the press. Guidance and restrictions from the government would prevent this politicisation and ensure that residents’ health and the environment are prioritised.
A ban on pesticide use in villages, towns and cities has already been legislated for in Denmark, France, Luxembourg and parts of Belgium. Across Europe, these national bans often came as a result of localised action. For example, in 1992, Copenhagen introduced a ban on pesticide use in churchyards. This sparked a broader debate about all urban pesticide use which led to a general ban by Danish regions and municipalities in 2006, which was followed by the introduction of national pesticide reduction strategies. Similarly, in 2014, France became the first EU member state to introduce national guidance to phase-out urban pesticides. This followed years of campaigning by NGOs and local authorities, many of which had already become pesticide-free.*
These international examples demonstrate that the UK could follow suit, building on the work of the many UK councils that have already voluntarily reduced or eliminated their use of pesticides.
Practical and financial support for councils
Each council will need to find the best method, or methods, to manage weeds without pesticides. The government should assist local authorities in their efforts by providing the following types of support:
Overarching guidance for councils
The guidance should explain exactly what is covered by a ban in terms of locations and types of land, as well as when any exemptions apply. It should also include recommendations as to how local authorities can phase out their use of pesticides in an efficient and cost-effective way that does not compromise on public safety or accessibility, explaining all the options for chemical-free alternatives.
Analysis of current pesticide use
As a first step, the government should assist councils to conduct a full analysis of their current pesticide use. Council officers conducting the analysis should cover where pesticides are being used, in addition to specifics on which pesticides and in what quantities. They should also detail how much money the council is currently spending on pesticides. It is important that all aspects of the analysis include both pesticides used by council staff directly and those used by any external contractors working for the council.
Training scheme for councils
The government should develop a training scheme on pesticide-free approaches that can be delivered to council officers and others, ahead of the ban taking force, so that councils can trial different chemical-free alternatives with expert supervision. Alternatives to pesticides include:
® Hot foam
® Acetic and pelargonic acid based products
® High-pressure hot water treatment
® Electronic control systems
® Hand weeding
® Mulching
® Flame treatment
® Brushing
For more information on alternatives to pesticides in the amenity sector see: https://www.pan-uk.org/ information-for-local-authorities
Financial support
Interest free loans or grants should be provided to councils to cover capital outlay on required equipment, including strimmers, hot foam and hot water machines. A change in legislation must result in new burdens funding for councils that are going pesticide-free. Councils are facing severe budget constraints, so this initial funding for purchasing equipment is badly needed. However, once councils own the required equipment then it can be used for many years. Going forward, reduced (or zero) spend on pesticides will deliver considerable cost savings.
Ring-fenced funding for extra staff
Many councils who are already pesticide-free shared with us that one of the key challenges they face is recruiting and retaining staff needed to replace pesticide spraying with manual labour. It is, therefore, vital that the government provides extra funding for councils’ city cleansing/environment/parks teams to oversee chemical-free weed removal and for any manual labour required. This is especially true in the spring and summer months when weeds experience the most growth.
Peer-to-peer support
While every council’s exact pathway towards becoming pesticide-free is different, experience shows that councils on the pesticide-free journey tend to face many of the same opportunities and challenges. Bringing councillors and council officers together to share advice, learnings and even encouragement is, therefore, a vital part of supporting their efforts. The UK government should establish an organised network for council officers and operatives to share learnings, challenges and best practice. In particular, having the ability to share the results from trials of non-chemical alternatives to pesticides is something that councils have said would be valuable.
Public consultation
When phasing out pesticide use, it is crucial that councils consult with residents, particularly groups that have the potential to be more impacted by this decision than others. We therefore recommend that the government mandate local authorities to consult key local stakeholders – most importantly disability groups – and provide communications on the ban to all residents. It is vital to make sure that residents feel included and informed about the transition to chemical-free alternatives and understand the benefits for their own health and local environment.
Changing the narrative
The government must help to change the narrative about urban spaces, weeds and pesticides. It should be made clear that our towns and cities can and should be an oasis for wildlife, given the current biodiversity crisis we are facing in the UK. Our urban spaces can play a key role in reversing biodiversity declines, since many pavement plants offer food and shelter to animals and insects. The government should assist councils in shifting away from the negative narrative of weeds being a nuisance and towards a view of pavement plants as an important aspect of urban biodiversity that can be managed without chemicals.
See PAN UK’s Pavement Plant Guide for an example of positive communication: https://www.pan-uk. org/pavement-plants
Linking with other government commitments and strategies
Phasing out urban pesticides would help the UK government to meet a number of existing commitments to reduce the exposure of people and wildlife to pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals, including:
6 In 2022, at the UN Nature Summit COP15, the UK government signed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework which pledges to reduce the risk of pesticides and hazardous chemicals by half by 2030 (Target 7).
6 One of the key goals in the 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan is to make the use of chemicals and pesticides safer for communities and to reduce their impacts on human health and the environment (Goal 4).
6 The government is intending to publish a revised UK National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides which aims to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment.
6 The 2014 National Pollinator Strategy and 2021 Pollinator Action Plan both include a focus on pesticide reduction. A ban on the use of pesticides in villages, towns and cities can help support pollinators in any plan going forward.
A ban on the use of pesticides in our villages, towns, and cities would help to further all of these aims by reducing the exposure of humans, wildlife and the broader environment to toxic chemicals. It would also help the government to meet its domestic commitments on cleaning up our waterways and restoring nature.
Pesticide Action Network UK
PAN UK is the only UK charity focused on tackling the problems caused by pesticides and promoting safe and sustainable alternatives in agriculture, urban areas, homes and gardens.
We work tirelessly to apply pressure to governments, regulators, policy makers, industry and retailers to reduce the impact of harmful pesticides.
Telephone: 01273 964230
Email: admin@pan-uk.org
Find out more about our work at: www.pan-uk.org
The Pesticide Collaboration
The Pesticide Collaboration brings together health and environmental organisations, academics, trade unions, farming networks and consumer groups, working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK, for a healthy future.
Find out more about our work at: www.pesticidecollaboration.org
