Hackett hopes to see continuation of policy to use chemical-free weedkillers

Offaly County Council is to step up public awareness of its new policy to use non-glyphosate herbicide in its operations. All Municipal District operations staff have been instructed on the policy.

The new policy was introduced at the beginning of the year when the council agreed to stop using chemical-based glyphosate weed killers except in the case of invasive species control in its parks and on public roads on a trial basis. Cllr Mark Hackett is hopeful that the new policy will remai n in the longer term.

The Green Party councillor said that the policy is “working well” and that there haven't been any problems so far.

“I've checked a couple of times with the engineer in Edenderry and he told me it's going quite well so he's happy with how it's going." Cllr Hackett also plans to ask the council for an update at the next council meeting.

He added: "I think once you try anything and if it succeeds, hopefully, they'll stay with it. As far as I can see, there's no real teething problems with it.”

Cllr Hackett also said that invasive species will be controlled as normal. “We can't really sort of mess around with them. We really have to keep them under control so I have no problem with that. I think that's the right course of action with them.”

Cllr Hackett previously pointed out that similar bans had been brought in by local authorities in Cork and Dublin, and he was pleased that Offaly County Council was now "leading the way in the Midlands" by ending its use of these products.

Some glyphosates had been the subject of numerous lawsuits in the US from people who have claimed their exposure caused cancer, and some have been banned in Germany.