Thursday January 29th 2026
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Scottish Borders Council today agreed to consider a phased ban on a weedkiller which poses “a risk” to the staff who apply it.
The local authority uses glyphosate-based weedkiller to maintain public spaces and manage street plant growth.
But there are concerns about its health risks and there has been pressure from local campaigners to ban it.
The council has continued to use the chemical, though they have been in the process of reviewing alternatives and looking to trial herbicide-free solutions.
When members of Scottish Borders Council met on Thursday, January 29, members endorsed a motion from Galashiels & District Scottish Green Party councillor Neil MacKinnon.
The motion requested that the council asks its officers to prepare a report regarding the potential to reduce the use of glyphosate weedkiller with a view to eliminating its use completely by 2028.
Mr MacKinnon said “Why do we need to get rid of it? Well, they are a pretty toxic group of chemicals, there is a risk to the staff in applying it, it’s classed as probably carcinogenic, it’s linked with liver disease and neurological issues and it has a real effect on pollinators.
“This stuff is a poison and it impairs digestion.
“It also looks terrible. I walk the Black Path and all last summer there was a foot wide stretch of yellow grass on each side, just dead, nothing growing on it.”
The motion was agreed unanimously.
The weedkiller’s use is highly controversial and widely debated.
While major regulatory agencies like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have concluded it is unlikely to be carcinogenic, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified it as a “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
The controversy stems from conflicting studies, health fears, environmental damage, and potential industry influence on safety reports.
The Midlothian Council has restricted the use of Glyphosate for over seven years.
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