It seems madness to me that the council are deliberately poisoning our natural world: our life support system. Especially now, in the midst of a global environmental crisis.
Waverley Borough Council need to be responding to this and acting in a responsible manner . We need nature, we are part of nature. Our well being and health is totally interdependent with the natural world.
There is overwhelming evidence of the toxic legacy from glyphosate use.
The case of groundsman, Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto Bayer in the U.S.A. has been a landmark in finally acknowledging the devastating health effects of exposure to pesticide/herbicides.
It is absolutely not acceptable that we are being routinely exposed to these chemicals in our public spaces - children’s play parks, sports fields, popular picnic spots, residential streets without our consent or advance notification.
The bioaccumulate effect is real and devastating for wildlife- our whole ecosystem is dependent on healthy biodiversity. The sounds of our local countryside even here in leafy Surrey are changing with reduced birdsong, bees, moths and so much of our native wildlife.
I’ve been alarmed at the silence from the loss of bees on Frensham Common- a place I’ve walked all my life. In past years, as the heather comes into full flower , the air is normally full of the sound of humming bees gathering stores for winter. This summer there has been an eerie silence and extraordinary stillness. I have never known such a dramatic change. This is such a serious issue.
The council could choose a different approach. Please make your voice heard and tell them you want them to stop using pesticides in their green spaces grounds management.
Also, we can all chose to see nature in all her wild beauty and not insist that Waverley Borough Council maintain manicured verges, parks and public spaces.
Please encourage Waverley to actively encourage wildflower verges, scruffy living hedges and to set aside wildlife areas in our public parks and gardens. They are your council- tell them what sort of place you want you and your families to live in.
Frensham Parish Council have now banned the use of pesticides on their land (2018) in recognition of the health concerns. It is possible to make change happen for the better!
If you don't live in this area, click here to start a campaign for your city:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/start-a-pesticide-campaign
