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Written question asked by Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 24 April 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 28 April 2025. It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Tuesday, 29 April 2025 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Weed Control: Public Places

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support research into natural defences against unwanted vegetation in public places.

Answer

One of the actions Defra introduced in the recently launched UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) is to gather more data on pest, weed and disease management in the amateur and amenity sectors. This will allow for a better understanding of pesticide use, the sectors’ contribution to overall pesticide load on the environment, and how widespread integrated pest management (IPM) approaches are currently. IPM aims to reduce reliance on pesticides by making use of lower risk alternatives and promoting natural processes.

Last year Defra completed an evidence review to understand better the barriers to IPM uptake in the amenity sector. In the wake of this review, Defra recently funded an update to the Integrated Weed Management guide produced by Parks for London. This will be published this year and will be available online, providing access to key tools to help amenity managers control weeds effectively and sustainably.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
47786
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Public places Research Weed control
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk