No. From their years of experience helping various bodies to go pesticide-free, PAN UK advises councils to adopt a three-year phase out plan.
Councils need the time to assess their local needs and create an adapted weed-management plan, setting out a road map for how they plan to move away from pesticides. PAN UK doesn’t advocate for a ‘like-for-like’ approach, where a synthetic pesticide is replaced solely by a natural substance for instance. Non-chemical alternatives tend to work differently to pesticides so there is no one ‘silver bullet’ to replace glyphosate or other similar herbicides. PAN UK recommends, rather, that over the course of a three-year phase-out period councils trial a range of different non-chemical alternatives, monitoring the process carefully to see what works. Ultimately, councils can then adopt a suite of targeted measures adapted to the needs of their particular areas.
It is also vital that councils spend the phase-out period communicating the benefits of going pesticide-free to ensure that residents are brought with them on the journey. Local groups representing those who struggle with mobility should be consulted regularly along the way to ensure that the phase-out plan works for everyone.
For more information, you can find PAN UK’s guide for local authorities here.