Amenity Pesticide Usage

The request was successful.

Dear Argyll and Bute Council,

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information.

1. Please provide the following information on amenity pesticide usage:
a. A list of the pesticides you use (brand name, and active ingredient), this should include insecticides, fungicides, molluscicides and herbicides.
b. The COSHH assessment form for each of the pesticides you use.
c. Where these chemicals are used, i.e parks, road verges, pavements, tree bases etc.
d. Annual quantities of each pesticide used over the past 5 years. Please include the total amount of each used both by the council internally and externally through contractors.
e. Please also confirm the concentrations of each pesticide used at application.

2. What strategies does the council have in place to reduce the use of these pesticides? Please provide detail on these efforts including dates and costings where possible.

3. How much has the council spent on purchasing and spraying amenity pesticides over the past 5 years? Please include staff costs of people employed to undertake this (either contractors or council staff), personal protective equipment, safety training, spray equipment, hazard signs, etc.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested above for any reason, I would be grateful for any further advice or assistance as to how I can refine my request. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs as necessary.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or phone and I will be very happy to clarify what I am asking for and discuss the request.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Kate Basley

Administrator,


Dear Kate Basley

Request for information: Amenity Pesticide Usage

Thank you for your information request which we have logged as reference
argyllbuteir:11870.

It has been passed to the relevant service(s) for attention and you should
receive a response under either the Freedom of Information (Scot) Act 2002
or the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 by 2020-09-08
00:00:00. We hope to respond within this timescale but, due to the
staffing/capacity issues with COVID-19, some requests may take little
longer.

Please quote the reference number above in any correspondence you may have
with the Council in regard to this request.

Regards

FOI Officer

Privacy information: Any personal information you have provided in
relation to this request will be used only for the intended purpose -
please read the full privacy notice to find out more about how your
personal information will be handled, and your rights under data
protection legislation.

Sinclair, David (Risk Management Assistant), Argyll and Bute Council

5 Attachments

Classification: OFFICIAL

Dear Kate Basley,

 

Request for information: Pesticide Usage

Reference: argyllbuteir: 11870

 

I refer to your request for information which was dealt with in terms of
the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs).

 

Please see below and attached information in fulfilment of your request.

 

1. Please provide the following information on amenity pesticide usage:

a.    A list of the pesticides you use (brand name, and active
ingredient), this should include insecticides, fungicides, molluscicides
and herbicides.

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Brand name |Task |Active Ingredient/s |
|----------------------------+-----------------+-------------------------|
|Round Up Probiactive |Herbicide |Glyphosate |
|----------------------------+-----------------+-------------------------|
|Mascot Hi Aktiv |Herbicide |Glyphosate |
|----------------------------+-----------------+-------------------------|
|Icade |Herbicide |Aminopyralid |
| | | |
| | |Triclopyr |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

b.    The COSHH assessment form for each of the pesticides you use.
Response: Please see attached.

c.    Where these chemicals are used, i.e. parks, road verges, pavements,
tree bases etc. Response: Applied to hard surfaces and pavements on roads
and school grounds, round trees, objects and grass plots, as well as the
treatment of knotweed.

d.    Annual quantities of each pesticide used over the past 5 years.
Please include the total amount of each used both by the council
internally and externally through contractors. Response: Grounds
maintenance works are carried out in-house therefore no usage by
contractors working on behalf of the Council. We do not record the
quantity of pesticide used therefore your request is refused under
Regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. However we estimate that around 500
litres of pesticide is used per annum.

e.    Please also confirm the concentrations of each pesticide used at
application.

Round up                  250mL in 10L water

Mascot Hi Aktiv                     2.5L in 5L rainfast carrier

Icade                          200mL in 10L water

2. What strategies does the council have in place to reduce the use of
these pesticides? Please provide detail on these efforts including dates
and costings where possible. Response: No information is held, therefore
your request is refused under Regulation 10(4)(a)(of the EIRs.

3. How much has the council spent on purchasing and spraying amenity
pesticides over the past 5 years? Please include staff costs of people
employed to undertake this (either contractors or council staff), personal
protective equipment, safety training, spray equipment, hazard signs, etc.
Response: We do not record this information in such a way as to enable us
to isolate expenditure on amenity pesticide spraying. Therefore your
request is refused under Regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs.

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which your request for information
has been dealt with you are entitled to request a review by writing to the
Executive Director Customer Services, Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory,
Lochgilphead, Argyll PA31 8RT, or by email to [1][Argyll and Bute Council request email].

 

Your request for review must state your name and address for
correspondence, specify the request for information to which your request
for review relates and why you are dissatisfied with the response. 

 

You must make your request for review not later than 40 working days after
the expiry of the 20 working day period for response to your initial
request by the Council, or not later than 40 working days after the
receipt by you of the information provided, any fees notice issued or any
notification of refusal or partial refusal.

 

If you make an application for review and remain dissatisfied with the way
in which the review has been dealt with you are entitled to make an
application to the Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS (Tel: 01334 464610) for a
further review. You can now do this online here -
[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal.

 

You must make representation to the Scottish Information Commissioner no
later than 6 months after the date of receipt by you of the notice or
decision you are dissatisfied with or within 6 months of the expiry of the
period of 20 working days from receipt by the Council of your request for
review.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

David Sinclair

Compliance and Regulatory Assistant

Legal and Regulatory Support/Compliance

Argyll & Bute Council

Kilmory

PA31 8RT

Tel:01546604352

 

[3]roundel_fc_cmyk_with_initials_signature_0_0[4]cid:image002.jpg@01D5F307.F33AB810

 

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Sinclair,

Thank you for your response. Regarding Question 3: "How much has the council spent on purchasing and spraying amenity pesticides over the past 5 years?", if I requested only the amount spent on the purchase of the pesticides alone, would this information be available?

Thank you for your help.

Yours sincerely,
Kate

Sinclair, David (Risk Management Assistant), Argyll and Bute Council

Classification: OFFICIAL

Good morning,

Thank you for your e-mail, I will ask and see what's information is available

As soon as I hear back I will let you know

Regards,

David Sinclair
Compliance and Regulatory Assistant
Legal and Regulatory Support/Compliance
Argyll & Bute Council
Kilmory
PA31 8RT
Tel:01546604352

show quoted sections

Hendry, Douglas, Argyll and Bute Council

5 Attachments

Classification: OFFICIAL

Ms Basley

 

Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR’s)

Regulation 16 Review - argyllbuteir:11870

 

I refer to your email of 9 September which has been treated as request for
a review of how we dealt with your request for information dated 11
August. I note that the response was sent within the 20 working day
timescale on 8 September. 

 

Your email sought clarification on what information may be available in
response to the 3^rd part of your request, i.e. “If I requested only the
amount spent on the purchase of the pesticides alone, would this
information be available?”

 

I am now able to provide you with a further spreadsheet detailing the
amounts and purchase costs of amenity pesticides used by the Council in
the years from 2015.  

 

The spreadsheet also contain further information which should have been
released to you, in relation to the 1^st part of your request, i.e.
details of another three pesticides currently used by the Council, Garlon
Ultra, Chikara/Paradise and Trustee Amenity, and details of another five
previously used by the Council, Hilite, Dual, Amistar, Qualgex and Katoum
Gold. 

 

I have released copies of the COSHH assessments for the three we currently
use. 

 

If you are dissatisfied with the way in which the review has been dealt
with you are entitled to make an application to the Scottish Information
Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS
(Tel: 01334 464610) for a review.  

 

You must make representation to the Scottish Information Commissioner no
later than 6 months after the date of receipt by you of the notice or
decision you are dissatisfied with or within 6 months of the expiry of the
period of 20 working days from receipt by the Council of your request for
review. 

 

If you make an application for a further review to the Scottish
Information Commissioner and remain dissatisfied by the decision then you
may appeal on a point of law to the Court of Session. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Douglas Hendry 

Executive Director 

 

Please note that your details, including any personal information you may
have provided, will be passed to the relevant service mentioned above.  A
full privacy notice can be found on our website, which explains what we
will do with your personal information and what your rights are under Data
Protection legislation.  [1]https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/data-prot...

 

[2]roundel_fc_cmyk_with_initials_signature_0_0

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Hendry,

Thank you for the review and for the extra information you have sent through. It is greatly appreciated.

Yours sincerely,
Kate