Grievous Biological Harm

Help us to keep the chemical glyphosate off UK food

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83%

of people are concerned about potential long-term exposure to chemical residues in their food

79%

of people have never heard of glyphosate

66%

of people are outraged that glyphosate is used in the UK food system

70%

weren't aware that traces of weedkillers like glyphosate can remain in some food products such as bread, cereals, fruits and vegetables

67%

of people would support a ban on glyphosate use in food production

70%

of people are unlikely to eat a vegetable they knew had been sprayed with a chemical that experts have classified as "probably carcinogenic"

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Riverford's plea to keep glyphosate off UK food

Glyphosate is the world’s favourite weedkiller. But new research by Riverford found that 79% of people have never even heard of it. You might know it as Roundup, and it is increasingly sprayed on food crops just before harvest – not principally to kill weeds, but to dry crops artificially to make harvesting quicker and more predictable.

Spraying crops with glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), days before harvest, means that residues end up on the food we eat – from oats and barley in breakfast cereals, to chickpeas, lentils and soybeans on dinner plates, the maize we feed to our animals, and the wheat we use in bread and beer.

The same research found that 70% of people were unaware that traces of weedkillers like glyphosate can remain in these foods. We can’t feel, see, smell or taste these residues. But that doesn’t make them harmless.

Why this matters

Ten years ago, glyphosate was classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Hardly reassuring when our exposure through everyday food is regular and cumulative, and 83% of people are concerned about long-term exposure to chemical residues in their food.

Research also revealed that 66% of people are outraged that glyphosate is used in the UK food system. Glyphosate is also linked to environmental harm, reducing soil health, polluting waterways, and negatively impacting wildlife including our pollinators. Despite all this, usage in the UK has risen by over 1000% since 1990.

Farmers don’t use these chemicals without reason. GBHs are effective, affordable and dependable. Glyphosate helps manage weeds and reduces the need for more labour-intensive methods. It sounds efficient, and commercially it is. But it comes at a cost we can no longer ignore. In this case, the benefits in reduced food prices are infinitesimally small but the risks substantial; it just doesn’t add up.

This is not about blaming farmers. Many are working within a system where prices have been driven down to a level where herbicides such as glyphosate feel like the only commercially viable option. But that dependence is part of the problem – locking farming into synthetic chemical use while damaging soil, water and biodiversity.

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We need to balance food production with the health of people and the environment. In this case, the benefits simply do not stack up. Continuing to spray crops just before harvest is a risk we do not need to take; the risk to our health and the environment are out of proportion to the benefit in reducing costs. It’s madness, and the UK government should be doing more.

We do not need to ban glyphosate overnight. But we can take a clear first step to prevent it from directly entering the food chain by banning its use so close to harvest, as a pre-harvest desiccant. The EU has already banned it. Why is the UK lagging behind?

Help us to end this grievous biological harm to our health and our food system by visiting the website and signing the petition below. Guy Singh-Watson
founder of Riverford Organic Farmers

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