Move to expand use of controversial weedkiller abandoned over inaccurate costings
Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Steps to expand the use of a controversial weed killer have been abandoned after it emerged safer alternatives may be cheaper than once thought.
The cost of non-chemical weed control methods, like using hot water and hot steam, appear to be at least half what Auckland Council estimated, according to quotes from contractors.
The revelation led councillors to vote unanimously on Thursday to even out funding for weed control across the region, allowing for local boards to opt out of using chemicals like glyphosate.
Cancer survivor Kate Clausen, 25, has welcomed the move that is likely to significantly reduce the use of a chemical the World Health Organization regards as a “probable carcinogen”.
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“I think it’s great the work of local activists was heard and the council displayed a common sense approach to the risk of using carcinogenic pesticides,” she said.
“It’s definitely a hopeful step in the right direction to fulfilling the rhetoric of clean green Aotearoa.“
Clausen spent her childhood on a farm in Whitukahu, Waikato, where a glyphosate-based herbicide called Roundup was sprayed regularly.
The Mt Eden resident was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2015, and believes the herbicide is to blame.
International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is the World Health Organization’s cancer agency, concluded in 2015 that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
But Environmental Protection Authority stated in 2019 products containing glyphosate are considered safe, provided that all the rules around their use are followed.
A proposal to standardise the management of weeds across the region was initially presented at the council’s environment committee meeting.
Currently, weed maintenance differs between local board areas, with a mix of glyphosate, plant-based herbicide and thermal technology like steam and hot water used.
The council recommended a combination of a plant-based herbicide and glyphosate to be adopted regionally to manage weeds.
This would have led to an increase in the use of glyphosate on the North Shore, East Coast Bays and Hibiscus Coast, but an overall reduction across the region.
The council recommended this option due to a $5.3 million price tag. A switch to non-chemical methods was costed at $16.2 million.
However Albany ward councillor John Watson challenged the council’s costings, and provided quotes from contractors to prove they were inaccurate.
“One of the key facts that came out today was that the cost of thermal methods was around half to a third of what they had estimated them to be,” he said.
As result of this revelation the proposal was revised, and councillors instead approved a standardisation in the funding of weed management across the region.
Watson said the decision is a win for communities who want to be chemical free, and go as far as they can to eliminate glyphosate in their streets.
“This should enable local boards to choose the methodology that they want, like water or hot steam instead of glyphosate, as long as it's within their budget,” he said.
Prior to the vote, Auckland Council spokeswoman Dr Claudia Wyss said she was aware that there are a lot of differing views on weed management.
“The council aims to balance the effectiveness of weed control, our climate change objectives and the careful management of costs,” she said.
In July, Christchurch City Council rejected a proposal to expand its use of glyphosate to kill weeds following opposition from environmental groups.