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<p>Pesticides, including glyphosate and other herbicides, are strictly regulated and
their use is only authorised if a scientific risk assessment shows that there will
be no harmful effect on human health and no unacceptable effects on the environment.
There are specific risk assessments for the use of pesticides in amenity areas, which
includes local authority use. There are also controls on the use of pesticides, including
training of users and testing of application equipment.</p><p> </p><p>It is for local
authorities to determine the need for pest and weed control in their operations and
to decide how to deliver this effectively without harming people or the environment.
There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in
areas used by the general public and a number of local authorities are exploring practices
that help meet this requirement.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are not required
to report their use of chemical pesticides and no central record is kept. The Government
does commission and publish surveys of pesticide use. These focus mainly on the use
of pesticides in farming, but surveys of amenity use have been carried out from time
to time, most recently in 2016.</p>
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