‘I’m made out to be an environmental terrorist, nothing is further from truth’
A GARDENER is questioning the States’ official line on pesticides, claiming his use of glyphosate poses no threat to the environment.
John Henry has a commercial qualification which enables him to use the product and treats his own patio with it every spring.
Earlier this year he wrote to all States members to urge them not to ban it. He said local growers would not be able to compete with imported supplies.
Mr Henry has also posted a video showing abundant varieties of native flowers in his garden and highlighted the presence of bees, along with the plentiful dragonfly larvae and damselflies in the pond adjacent to his patio.
‘People like me are made out to be environmental terrorists, but nothing could be further from the truth,’ he said.
‘I’m a member of Pollinator Project Guernsey, and I agree with everything they say, except for this issue of whether it’s safe to use glyphosate.’
Guernsey Water has warned customers’ bills may have to rise if steadily rising pesticide readings meant new water treatment technologies were needed.
Levels of glyphosate have exceeded the maximum permissible concentration in some catchments, preventing the collection of about 250 million litres of water annually – about 5% of the overall yearly supply of 4.5 billion litres. But the quality of treated drinking water has improved, with a record 99.95% compliance with drinking water standards reported in 2020.
Mr Henry believes the threat has been exaggerated and wants to ensure he will be able to go on using the product responsibly.
‘I follow all the manufacturer’s instructions,’ he said.
‘It works by misting it onto the leaves of a plant. The chemical then translocates through the leaves and stem and takes out the root. That makes it more useful than using vinegar, which some people are recommending as an alternative.
‘Vinegar just burns the leaves without damaging the root, so if you use that commercially, such as on a crop of carrots, you have to keep coming back and spraying, which increases your carbon footprint.
‘If you use acetic acid in a glasshouse, there’s no way you can go back in there and do any work. It’s not nice stuff.’
He said he was under no illusions about how much care had to be taken with glyphosate.
Mr Henry recalled his involvement in the growing industry in the 1970s, when now-banned chemicals were used routinely.
‘I used to load up barrels of really nasty chemicals to be sprayed until the soil was soaked with it,’ he said. ‘Things like paraquat and formaldehyde. That was going on by the acre.
‘Cats would come through and then lick their fur and die from it. People got seriously ill. And this wasn’t being done on the sly – it was all legal.
‘There’s no way there’s more pollutants going into the water supply now than in the 70s.’
