14 Mar 2016

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Residents will get the chance to voice their opinions on Christchurch City Council's proposal to cut back its use of the weedkiller glyphosate.

The Council has proposed limiting the chemical's use to sites closed to the public and for control of pest plants where there are no other practical options. The proposal will go out for public feedback next month as part of the Council's Draft Annual Plan consultation process.

Councillor Phil Clearwater, Chair of the Infrastructure, Transport and Environment Committee, said it was important residents and ratepayers had their say on the issue given glyphosate's potential health risks, as well as the increased costs of using alternative, plant-based weed killers.

The Council's plan to reduce glyphosate use would cost an estimated $5.85 million extra per year until 2020, when the annual cost would drop to an extra $4.97 million.

In March last year, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organisation, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

Glyphosate is the world's most widely produced herbicide and is approved for use in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Britain and most European Union countries. It is banned from sale to the public in some countries, including France and the Netherlands.

At present the Council uses glyphosate to control weeds and other pest plants by spraying it around the bases of trees, paths, kerbing and buildings. No spraying is allowed around playgrounds or along registered spray-free boundaries, and all weeds taller than 10 centimetres are hand-pulled.

As well as consulting over its use of glyphosate, the Council will keep investigating alternative methods of weed control and call for a review of Land Information New Zealand's use of the chemical over land in the residential red zone.