There have been calls for the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) to review its weed killer policy after it emerged that more than 12,000 miles of road verges were sprayed in the past year with a chemical that is banned by many European countries.
Alliance MLA Andrew McMurray said he found it “deeply disheartening” that glyphosate was being used widely across Northern Ireland.
The chemical is the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Round-Up, the most popular commercial weed killer.
It is banned for household use in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, due to concerns around the risk of cancer, while in Germany its use is also prohibited in public spaces.
Glyphosate has negative impacts on wildlife and biodiversity.
Answers from Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd to a series of written assembly questions from Mr McMurray reveal that in the past year contractors employed by his department sprayed 19,912km (12,373 miles) of road verges.
Earlier this year, the minister backed the ‘No Mow May’ approach to help promote roadside biodiversity.
Roads NI’s Belfast North division carried out the most spraying, covering around 1,556 km (967 miles) of roadsides, while also spraying the equivalent of 147 football pitches on footpaths and other paved areas.
The South Down MLA asked Mr O’Dowd if his department had considered and researched alternatives to weed killer.
The minister said DfI officials had not carried out any specific research on alternatives but that the topic “has been discussed with colleagues from other roads authorities” in Britain.
He said no effective alternative has been identified.
“I find it deeply disheartening that the policy of glyphosdate spraying continues to be so widespread given that there have been various commitments to support biodiversity,” Mr McMurray told The Irish News.
“While I accept that its use is perhaps necessary in the control of invasive species, spraying road verges is an outdated and unsightly – its use should be reduced significantly.”
The Alliance MLA said spraying weed killer was “not only potentially damaging to human health but harms wildlife also”.
“I am disappointed to learn that DfI has not considered or researched alternatives to indiscriminately spraying weed killer that ultimately ends up in our water courses,” he said.
“I would call for this practice to be reviewed immediately, with a view to promptly phasing it out.”
