At last night’s AGM, Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society members passed a motion to ban the general use of weedkillers across all its sites.

The motion to ban was passed by a landslide, with only one member registering their opposition.

Effective immediately, members must not bring onto the site, store, nor make use of any form of weedkiller on SKGAS allotment sites.

Where there is a specific need for the use of a proprietary weedkiller – for instance to kill a tree stump – members must seek written permission from a ground steward.

The steward will assess the request and advise on the type of product that may be used.

No application of weedkiller should be made without the express written permission from a ground steward or the committee. The committee will take swift action against any members breaching this rule.

The ban was placed tabled in response to a small number of members who insist on using herbicides to control grass on their paths. This results in the paths becoming undermined and becoming dangerous for those using them.

Glyphosphate, the active herbicide in most of the weedkillers used by allotment gardeners is widely acknowledged as dangerous. In 2015, it was identified by the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a human carcinogen.

This is why the committee has sought to limit its use across our sites in all but exceptional circumstances.

Though not banned in the UK or EU, it is believed as many as two thirds of the EU’s members would like to see it banned.

Many countries and metropolitan areas have already banned the use of glyphosphate.