Stop killing bees in the City of Nature

Following the news that Birmingham has been recognised as the UK's first official Nature City by a group including the National Trust and Natural England, the Liberal Democrats remind the council of the incredibly damaging impact of Glyphosate which is STILL being used by council partners as a weedkiller. 

Just last month, Councillor Izzy Knowles alerted the council to the fact that use of the harmful pesticide has increased since 2020 despite a petition being jointly presented to council by Cllr Knowles and the cabinet member whose oversized portfolio includes environmental issues. 

She said: “Glyphosate is harmful to wildlife, especially bees and other pollinators. It is banned in the EU and is labelled as "probably carcinogenic" by the World Health Organisation.”

Councillor Roger Harmer added to this today leading with “I welcome the accolade of City of Nature for our City, but this is a hollow achievement if this council is not going to take action to stop the use of glyphosate. This chemical kills bees, harms wildlife and destroys habitats.”

“Furthermore, research has provisionally linked glyphosate exposure to the development of cancers, disruption to hormone balances, skin, kidney and liver disorders, so it’s also likely to be harmful to residents. 

“A city of nature should be actively improving biodiversity and nature recovery. Our green spaces should be making our air cleaner and our green spaces safer. This cannot be take seriously when unnecessary and harmful chemicals are still being used. 

“The City of Nature status is supported by the council’s 25-year plan aimed at achieving nature recovery, but as we know all too well, this Labour administration is great at making plans and terrible at executing them.”