Herbicide Usage

The Parks Trust has made positive progress in its efforts to reduce glyphosate use. In recent years we have reduced our total use by over one-third. By 2024, our goal is to use the substance minimally and only where no practicable alternative is available.

Since we set this goal in 2019, we have continually researched and where we can, introduced effective alternatives to herbicides such as using wood mulch, planting hemi-parasitic plants like ‘yellow rattle’ in wildflower mixes in place of some of our formal shrub beds, or weeding by hand and mechanical means.

We do not use glyphosate on most of the green space that we manage and where we do have to use it, we minimise its use. Across the whole estate, we use 250ml to 1 hectare (2.47 acres) per year which equates to half a regular can of drink over an area the size of a football pitch.

There is still more to be done, and we continue to work with suppliers and industry experts to test innovative solutions to weed control. Glyphosate is currently fully licenced for horticultural and agricultural use in both the UK and EU. The UK licence for the use of glyphosate was recently extended to December 2028.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why don’t you go 100% glyphosate-free right now?

    We have weighed up the impact of going 100% glyphosate-free right now. Our conclusion is that it is not yet feasible for a number of reasons. For instance, we could not maintain the local landscape to its current high standards, particularly hard surfaces and general soft areas which are most susceptible to damage from weeds.

    We only use glyphosate as a spot treatment, spraying directly onto weeds and not whole surfaces. We currently use an average of 250ml of glyphosate per 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of green space we own and manage.  Glyphosate breaks down and neutralises when it comes into contact with soil.   We believe the quantity of glyphosate we use is not detrimental to the habitat we manage and continue to develop.

    Our research has investigated towns and cities that completely stopped glyphosate usage. We noted significant challenges including dramatic weed overgrowth, damage to paths which made them unsafe, significantly increased maintenance costs and high numbers of complaints from residents to local authorities. The Parks Trust is a charity that receives no funding from government. We have to generate our own income and take a responsible, long-term approach to our spending. Suddenly increasing our maintenance costs would have a very detrimental effect on the spaces we manage.

  • What about your contractors?

    We have regular meetings with all of our landscape contractors to explain our targets and to get them on board. Contractors are required to work to the same standard of minimal herbicide use as our own in-house teams.

  • How do you minimise the impact of glyphosate use?

    Our delivery of glyphosate is very targeted, and we only use it where necessary and when there is no viable alternative. The main targets of our glyphosate activities are;

    • Maintenance of formal or ground cover shrub beds, through spot application.
    • Creating weed free areas around individual trees and park furniture in grass (which helps or protect trees and park infrastructure from mower damage).
    • Control of weeds on hard surfaces through spot spraying applications.
    • Establishment and preparation for new planting and wildflower areas.

    When our team members handle glyphosate, they are fully protected, and we use a ready-mixed formulation which means there is no contact with active ingredients.