Pesticides are contaminating our food and wild spaces - harming our health, and the bees, birds and rivers we depend on.
The European Union has already taken action on pesticide use. It’s time we did too.
So, where do we start?
Glyphosate, the chemical in popular weedkillers like Roundup, is found across our land and waterways, with residues often ending up in our food.
There’s mounting evidence linking glyphosate to serious health concerns, from cancers to liver disease and damage to the gut microbiome.
And it can be devastating for wildlife too. Bees struggle to survive once contaminated, while it strips away food and shelter for birds and mammals, and pollutes our rivers.
That's why the European Union has already banned one of its most harmful uses: spraying it on crops just before harvest.
This practice, known as pre-harvest desiccation, is used to dry the crops out faster and more evenly. When used so close to harvest, it leaves residues in our food, like bread, beer and breakfast cereals, as well as on the surrounding landscape.
This is unacceptable.
Many farmers are already growing crops without pre-harvest glyphosate, and others need support to adapt.
Right now, the UK government has a rare chance to act and protect both people and nature, while supporting the best of British farming.
