Alleged breaches of pesticide law under investigation

Tuesday 04 April 2017

The Department for the Environment (DoE) is investigating two alleged breaches of the Pesticides and Water Pollution Law following complaints from locals that overuse of weed killer was harming wildlife and making dogs ill.

A spokesperson said that the DoE were examining two incidents in which pesticides may have been used in an “irresponsible” way. If found guilty, the perpetrators could face unlimited fines or even a term of imprisonment depending on the gravity of the offence.

The news comes after islanders raised a number of concerns across social media about the use of pesticides on parish roads and the dangers associated with poor application by both commercial and domestic users.

Some locals fear that the pesticides have had adverse effects on Jersey’s honeybee and hedgehog populations, while others commented on the detrimental results for non-targeted plants, which may suffer unsightly discolouration or even die if hit by pesticides blown on the wind.

A number of dog owners also reported their pets having fallen ill after licking their paws whilst out on parish roads in the areas of Gorey and Beauport, thought to be linked with weed killer use.

Pictured: A recently-sprayed parish road in St Ouen. (Photo: Peter Perceval Judge)

In all cases, it is unclear whether the 'problem' pesticides were distributed by States, commercial or domestic users.

However, the DoE say that they are committed to ensuring that “pesticides are being applied sensibly and responsibly” and are working with the Action for Cleaner Water Group.

“What we’re trying to achieve across the board is that pesticide spraying should only be done by [independent agricultural auditing organisation] BASIS qualified staff… It should be done in suitable conditions so that it doesn’t drift onto non-target areas,” a spokesperson said.

“It’s stipulated under best practice in BASIS: spraying has got to be targeted, you’ve got to have people applying the right pesticides to the right weeds, you’ve got to have people sufficiently trained and wearing the right mask apparatus.”

While the two recent incidents were described as “unusual”, the DoE say that there is no reason for commercial users including large-scale agricultural operations to be in breach.

“Those people that are using it commercially, you can’t use pesticides commercially unless you are trained adequately. That is a requirement of the law. The knowledge is out there. It shouldn’t really be an excuse."

Banned pesticide found in streams and reservoirs - https://t.co/ZiqbkfCqeL pic.twitter.com/7Jj00cJsMC

— Bailiwick Express (@bailiwickxpress) March 15, 2016

Last year, high pesticide levels were identified in steams and reservoirs including increasing levels of Oxadixyl, a banned pesticide used for limiting potato blight, leading the Department to issue a warning to gardeners. They’re now reiterating that message and recommending that non-commercial users educate themselves on regulations.

Commercial users are also asked to put up signs where possible when spraying is underway.