Roundup
areas. It forms part of the Amenity Action Plan and is downloadable from
www.amenityforum.org.uk
Glyphosate and water
Under Article 7 of the Water Framework Directive, all pesticides are required to be below the 0.1ppb (g/l) drinking water limit in all water bodies designated as Drinking Water Protected areas. The Environment Agency in England and Wales, and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency in Scotland, are responsible for the UK’s compliance with the Water Framework Directive and have an obligation to ensure the status of water bodies does not deteriorate in future years. They have powers to create Water Protection Zones where modifications to the use of pesticides might be imposed, e.g. rates and timings may be restricted, or compulsory buffers introduced.
Despite glyphosate’s extremely low toxicity profile, and high level of environmental, people and animal safety, it is so widely used that it is has been identified for monitoring in water at both EU and UK level. Glyphosate does not meet toxicological criteria for designation as a Priority Substance (PS), and its use should not lead to a detrimental effect on water quality status. But, it is being looked at under the category of substances which
are ‘of concern and present a risk to or via the aquatic environment’. Glyphosate has been proposed as a PS at both EU and UK level, simply because of its extensive use, in order to establish a safe level for monitoring.
So, what does this mean in practice? An Environmental Quality Standard, (EQS) will be set, representing a level at which there is no deterioration of water quality, and the EA will then monitor to make sure it is not exceeded. This level has not yet been finalised but should not pose a threat to proper label use of glyphosate herbicides.
Glyphosate has been detected in a small percentage of EA samples of surface water tested in the UK since 1993, usually at or below 0.1ppb. Glyphosate is widely used in agriculture and gardens, as well as amenity areas, and detections will not identify the source or distinguish between formulations. This means all users must act together now to make sure the EQS level is never exceeded through misuse or abuse, thereby ensuring none of the essential recommendations are lost in future. The highest risk of water contamination in all sectors comes from point source contamination during mixing, filling and container disposal, and can be almost entirely eliminated by Best Practice during use. The Voluntary Initiative has
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