Environment, Marine and Fisheries
Group
Regulatory and Natural Resources Division
Environmental Farming Branch
Room 651, Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
Belfast
BT4 3SB
Our Ref: DAERA/2019-0191
Email: mailto:tommy.mcnamara@daera-
ni.gov.uk
26 June 2019
Dear Sir/Madam,
Freedom of Information Act 2000
I refer to your request for information, received on 2 June 2019, which asked for:
The annual usage, in metric litres, of all products containing Glyphosate,
administered/sprayed/applied onto agricultural land by licensed/certified agents throughout
Northern Ireland for the years:
•
A 1 April 2015 – 31 March 2016;
•
B 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017;
•
C 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018;
•
D 1 April 2018 – 31 March 2019;
•
E 1 April 2019 – 31 March 2020 (projected application).
I can advise that the Department has completed its search and can confirm that it does not
hold all of the information requested. The available information is set out in the table below.
Annual usage of products containing the active ingredient Glyphosate
Year
Spray hectares*
Weight applied (kg)
2014
24,149
18,071
2016
23,021
16,476
*Spray hectares refers to the total hectares sprayed in a year. This includes areas of land that have had more than one application.
Pesticide usage monitoring forms an integral part of the government's pesticide safety control
arrangements, in providing quantitative and qualitative data on the usage of pesticides in
agriculture and horticulture. In Northern Ireland this monitoring is carried out by the Agri-Food
and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) on behalf of the Department. Pesticide usage reports are
produced bi-annually and as such there is no data available for 2015 or 2017. The data for
2018 is currently being verified and will be published on the AFBI website in October 2018.
There is no data for “projected application” for 2019 or 2020.
All pesticide approvals are subject to periodic review and the approval of glyphosate has
recently gone through this process. On 28 November 2017, the EU re-approved the
continuing use of glyphosate. Reviews of the scientific data by the European Food Safety
Authority and the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment found no
safety concerns that would prevent continuing approval, and UK scientists agree with this
assessment. The UK government supported the continued approval because glyphosate
meets our high standards for the protection of health and the environment. The current EU
approval lasts until 15 December 2022; use beyond that date would be subject to a further
decision
If you are unhappy with the manner in which your request for information has been handled or
the decision to release/withhold information you have the right to request a formal review by
the Department. If you wish to do so, please write to The Review Section, The Department of
Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Data Protection and Information Management
Branch, Room 507, Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Ballymiscaw, BELFAST,
BT4 3SB, within two months from the date of this letter.
If after such an internal review you are still unhappy with the response, you have the right to
appeal to the Information Commissioner at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
CHESHIRE SK9 5AF, who will undertake an independent review.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please remember to quote the
reference number above in any future communications.
Yours faithfully,
Tommy McNamara
On behalf of the Department