Which Northern Rivers councils are using glyphosate?

THE herbicide was at the centre of a landmark court case in the US in which a California man was awarded $A395 million.

Byron Shire Council is using steam to rid their region of weeds, rather than glyphosate. Picture: Byron Shire Council

GLYPHOSATE, commonly known as Round-Up, is a chemical that's on many people's minds.

The herbicide was at the centre of a landmark court case in the US in which California man Dewayne Johnson, who used the weed-killer in his role as a school caretaker and is suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, was awarded $A395 million.

The court found Monsanto, the business which produces Round-Up, failed to properly warn users of the risks of the chemical.

We've taken a look at which councils across the Northern Rivers are still using glyphosate.

STEAM POWER: Byron Shire Council

BYRON Shire Council has given herbicides the flick and is using steam to weed the region.

Three years ago, the council decided to stop using herbicides in all parts of their operations by 2018, and they've done just that.

The council is using a steam weeding machine from Australian company Weedtechnics.

Manager for open spaces and resource recovery Michael Matthews said this machine would be welcomed by residents concerned about potentially harmful chemicals.

"In 2015 council resolved to stop using herbicides in all areas in the Byron Shire that are frequently used by the public by 2018 and this new steam weeder is one way of achieving this goal,” Mr Matthews said.

"This machine is highly effective at killing weeds without the use of chemicals and I know that anything that reduces the use of herbicides will be welcomed by our residents.

"Staff are using it to kill weeds in and around children's playgrounds which is a relief to many parents who feel strongly about the use of herbicides and other chemicals.”

He said the steam weeder was also being used in retail areas, picnic areas and the like.

"The steam weeder is a mobile unit operated by the Open Space team who use a wand to spray steam onto weeds and into the ground to penetrate their root systems,” Mr Matthews said.

"An added bonus is that we are also able to use it as a steam machine to clean playground equipment, tables and paths.

"For many years our residents have been telling Council they are not happy with society's reliance on chemicals and we hear their concerns.

"Byron Shire Council will continue to lead the region in finding innovative and effective ways to reduce chemical use in our community,” Mr Matthews said.　　

"HIGHLY VIGILANT”: Richmond Valley Council

A RICHMOND Valley Council spokeswoman said the council "does not use glyphosate as a base product for controlling vegetation”.

The council rotates the use of other chemicals in roadside vegetation control.

"Full strength glyphosate has not been used for quite some time as the product has been banned for use around trees, gardens and in water course areas,” she said.

She said while the council does use contractors to conduct "minor spraying operations” these relate only to target notifiable weeds and are "normally isolated to smaller locations”.

"Roadside vegetation spraying is conducted by council staff who are highly aware and vigilant with the needs of the community and residents alike,” she said.

"Council is a progressive organisation and can, with the request of the land owner, not spray areas if requested by the property owner.”

"ONLY WHEN NECESSARY”: Ballina Shire Council

BALLINA Shire Council manager of open spaces and reserves Cheyne Willebrands said they use various weed control chemicals, including glyphosate.

"The Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority is the regulatory authority within Australia and Council is guided by the regulatory requirements for such pesticide use,” Mr Willebrands said.

"The use of pesticides for weed control is a council position and was last reviewed and adopted in July 2015.”

He said such chemicals were used in public places "only when necessary and always in a safe and responsible manner to minimise any potential harm to the community or environment”.

He said the council was committed to ensuring their use of these chemicals was "justified and minimised” and they were "continuing to investigate alternatives”.

"This has included liaising with Byron Council's trials on their steam weeding project, monitoring market opportunities and products, and supporting volunteer Landcare groups who require less chemical use as weeds are eventually controlled,” he said.

"Residents are always welcome to join the local Landcare groups to assist with the manual labour required in non-chemical weed control.”

"EFFECTIVE TREATMENT”: Lismore City Council

LISMORE City Council engineering operations manager Scott Scruton said they "safely uses glyphosate-based herbicides for vegetation control as it provides proven, effective treatment of weeds and grasses”.

"The use of glyphosate-based herbicides by Lismore City Council are strictly controlled to ensure the safety of our staff and the community,” Mr Scruton said.

"All glyphosate-based herbicides used are registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and categorised by the Department of Health, under the Poisons Standard as having low potential for causing harm.

"Our staff have AQF-3 Chemical Accreditation to ensure we maintain best practice methods when storing, transporting, preparing and applying chemicals, and our current spraying practices are governed by our Pesticide Use Notification Plan, as prescribed by the NSW EPA.

"Lismore City Council are continually looking for ways to reduce and improve our practices for vegetation control and have conducted trials to investigate alternatives to glyphosate-based herbicides. Unfortunately to date the trialled alternatives have proven to be less effective and cost prohibitive, however Lismore City Council will continue to proactively investigate alternatives.”

"IT'S A SAFE CHEMICAL”: Kyogle Shire Council

THE Kyogle Shire uses glyphosate in its management of vegetation in open spaces.

Director of assets and infrastructure services Tony Lickiss said as the chemical was an approved product in Australia, they would continue to use it for weed control.

"At the moment nothing has changed, it is still a safe chemical to use,” Mr Lickiss said.

"I'll wait to see what our own government reaction is.”

He said they used the chemical in roadside spraying.