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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 2nd JUNE 2015
Question
Will the Minister confirm the legal status of herbicide products containing glyphosphate and state whether he has information on how much of it is sold and used in Jersey and whether he accepts research that suggests it is probably carcinogenic to humans'?
Will the Minister inform members if there are any plans to ban or mitigate its use and availability in Jersey?
Answer
The storage, sale, supply and use of pesticides in Jersey is regulated and controlled by the Pesticides (Jersey) Law 1991 (the Law).
The Law permits the use of a list of approved' herbicides and pesticide products. This list mirrors the list of approved products compiled by the UK Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) in the Pesticides Register of UK Authorised Products.
The replication of the UK CRD list in the Island's legislation, means that products that have been revoked or introduced in the UK can be quickly updated in Jersey. The island also benefits from the in-depth research that is required to keep the list current and safe for the environment and human health.
When referring to glyphosphate in his question I am assuming the Deputy means glyphosate. The herbicide Glyphosate is the active ingredient in a range of agricultural (professional) and domestic (amateur) herbicides. It is listed in the UK CRD and hence has approval for use in Jersey.
Glyphosate was contained in nine separate commercial herbicide products that were imported through the merchants in 2013. In this year, records show that the total volume of product containing of glyphosate was 3,300 litres. The products were mainly used by commercial growers to control the growth of weeds. All commercial users are trained and hold certificates in the safe use of herbicides. The above figures exclude amateur or domestic products.
The International Agency for Research (IARC) on Cancer have classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans'. Officers from Public Health concur with the classification and conclusions of the IARC.
Glyphosate remains as an approved product on the UK CRD list. It is not anticipated that the Minister will remove glyphosate independently of a decision by the UK at this stage.