Dear John
As a valuable follower of PAN UK’s work, you are probably already aware of our Pesticide-Free Towns Campaign. For a number of years we have been working with campaigners and councillors across the country to end the use of pesticides on the streets, parks, playgrounds, and other public areas of our villages, towns and cities.
France, Denmark and Luxembourg have already banned the use of pesticides in urban areas, which proves that it is perfectly possible to manage these spaces with non-chemical alternatives. Here in the UK, many councils are also proving that, despite budget restrictions, going pesticide-free is achievable.
New national campaign launched
Today, we are thrilled to share that a new national campaign calling for the UK government to ban the use of pesticides in urban areas once and for all has been kick-started by the Pesticide Collaboration.
The Pesticide Collaboration – hosted by PAN UK and the RSPB – brings together health and environmental organisations, academics, trade unions and others, working under a shared vision to urgently reduce pesticide-related harms in the UK.Â
Committing to a phase-out is a tangible and achievable action for the new Labour administration, that will support biodiversity in our towns and cities whilst also protecting human health.
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Local councils need support, with funding and advice in place, to make the journey to going pesticide-free easier for everyone. We are in the midst of a nature crisis and the overuse of pesticides by councils is destroying many of the areas where wildlife forage for food. These chemicals contaminate water courses and harm aquatic life. They also undermine many of the efforts undertaken by local residents to improve biodiversity in urban areas.
This is our chance to reach many more people and encourage them to take action on this issue.
Sign the petition and join us in this urgent call to action. Thank you.
