500 signatures reached
To: Cottsway Housing Association and West Oxfordshire District Council
No potentially harmful pesticides in Witney's public spaces!
Please don't use pesticide chemicals which the World Health Organisation have said are a probable carcinogen (may cause cancer) in public places. Especially where our children play.
Witney Town Council and West Oxfordshire District Council* have already publicly said that they have already withdrawn the use of this chemical and use alternatives!
*UPDATE: West Oxfordshire District Council have today (26th September 2016) issued a statement to local media "The Council’s contractor uses an environmentally friendly product which does contain glyphosate as an active ingredient."
Glyphosate is toxic, a probable carcinogen and NOT environmentally friendly - this petition is now also targeted towards them as well and Cottsway.
Cottsway have said that they will renegotiate this when the contract with their contractor is up for renewal, but we call for it to not be used by Cottsway or its contractors with immediate affect.
Why is this important?
My son just like many other children like to play under trees in the park. Imagine my horror when I realised that a chemical called glyphosate had been used in the public area he and his friends chose to play in. The tell-tale signs are all around the Wadards Meadow area of Cogges in Witney, but this petition is to ask Cottsway to withdraw its use on every public area managed by they in any part of the district and country.
There are many questions about glyphosate's safety and various studies have highlighted many concerns.
Whilst glyphosate's safety is in question, we politely and with respect ask that Cottsway Housing Association stops using immediately.
Find out more about glyphosate here: http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2379278/glyphosate_is_a_disaster_for_human_health.html
How it will be delivered
In person once local people have had the chance to sign.
