Newry, Mourne and Down Council denies it used Glyphosphate on greenway

A Northern Ireland council has denied claims it has been using a controversial weedkiller on a crossborder greenway project.
People who use the Carlingford Lough Greenway in Newry reacted this week on social media to scorched verges of the pathway they believe is the result of the areas being treated with Glyphosate.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) had aimed to end its use of the chemical by 2023, however it approved the continued use of Glyphosate after it recently obtained forest parks requiring weed control.

READ MORE: Newry city centre free-of-charge car park set for council take-over.

Nature enthusiast and greenway user, John Ross MacMathuna posted: “I cycled the Carlingford Greenaway yesterday. Unfortunately the entire length had been sprayed with Glyphosate on both sides, all the way from Albert Basin to Victoria lock.

“I support the expansion and extension of cycle infrastructure, but we need to be aware that they often go through environmentally sensitive areas.
“It is a cheap and nasty way to make public spaces look tidy. But, 90% of the time to achieve a certain aesthetic that seems popular with some people, it is wiping out so many native perennials like primroses etc in the process. A strimmer or mower would be better used.
“The price is of course paid in plant biodiversity collapse and insect collapse, also build up of chemicals linked to cancer in our body tissue. But the council saves a few quid alright.”

A number of environment and health organisations have claimed that there is evidence linking Glyphosate, found in the council’s ‘Roundup’ weed killer, to cancer – something the product’s manufacturer has disputed.
Numerous international agencies, including the European Chemical Agency and European Food Safety Authority (Efsa), continue to declare Glyphosate as safe. However, in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ruled that Glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic”.
The Carlingford Lough Greenway opened in 2018 in Newry and the scenic stretch of land along the edge of the Newry Ship Canal and Clanrye River is used by pedestrians and cyclists.
Earlier this month, a €1.5m grant from the Republic of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund was officially offered to the council to complete the greenway project through to Co Louth.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted NMDDC for clarity on the chemical matter.
A council spokesperson said: “NMDDC can confirm that it has not used weed control chemicals containing Glyphosate along the Carlingford Lough Greenway.
“The use of herbicides across NMDDC is subject to strict controls, especially in the regions of waterways and play parks. The council has been trying alternative methods such as hot water treatment and non-Glyphosate sprays to control the growth of weeds along the greenway and various alternative weed control techniques have, and are being trialled on an ongoing basis.”

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