Pressure mounts on government: nearly 60,000 people join calls to ban spraying weedkiller linked to cancer on crops days before they are harvested

A campaign calling for the ban has gained significant traction as nearly 60,000 people join celebrities, MPs, and industry bodies, after residues are found in household staples like bread.

A petition calling on the UK government to ban the use of the controversial chemical glyphosate being sprayed on crops days before harvest has garnered nearly 60,000 signatures in just 28 days since the petition launched. Campaigners say the significant milestone reflects rapidly growing public concern about pesticide residues in everyday foods such as bread, breakfast cereals and oats.

Glyphosate is used by some farmers to tackle weeds, but it is also often sprayed on crops to dry them out at harvest time, which can leave residues in food. The Soil Association charity and organic veg box company Riverford have joined forces to call for the UK to align with the EU in banning the use of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) as a pre-harvest drying agent.

Over 90 public figures including chefs Rick Stein and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, backed the ‘Grievous Biological Harm’ campaign from Riverford which has been followed by 58,000 people signing the Soil Association’s ‘Cut the Chemicals’ petition.

An open letter to the environment secretary also backed a ban on pre-harvest desiccation in the UK – which was co-ordinated by the Soil Association and signed by 27 environment and health groups, including Riverford, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Greenpeace, and The Wildlife Trusts.

Campaigners say the rapid and growing public response shows pesticide exposure is becoming a mainstream consumer concern, particularly as evidence mounts around cumulative chemical exposure and residues in everyday, staple foods.
New research from Riverford shows 83% of people are concerned about long term exposure to chemical residues in their food, while 67% would support a ban on using glyphosate in British food production.

Campaigner and founder of Riverford, Guy Singh-Watson, said: “People are deeply concerned that chemicals linked to cancer are ending up in their everyday foods like bread and cereals. The fact that this petition has reached nearly 60,000 signatures in such a short time reflects a growing public unease around how our food is produced.

“Farmers are not to blame here, many are operating within a system, dominated by the supermarkets, that has pushed them towards chemical dependency through relentless pressure on price and efficiency. If we want farming to move away from practices like pre-harvest glyphosate spraying, the government and the food industry have to help make that transition to nature-friendly farming practices a viable option.

“There are many farmers already proving that low-input, agroecological approaches can work. But they need practical backing, fair returns and long-term policy support, while shoppers need their trust in the food system restored.”

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weedkillers including Roundup, is widely used in farming. While often associated with weed and cover crop control as an alternative to ploughing, it is also sprayed directly onto some crops shortly before harvest to dry them and speed up harvesting, which is a practice known as pre-harvest desiccation.

This can leave residues in foods like bread, breakfast cereal, and beer, with nearly half of crop samples tested in the UK across wheat, barley and oats found to contain the chemical. Pre-harvest desiccation is not a practice carried out to support soil health management and glyphosate can have a negative environmental impact, says the Soil Association.

The government is expected to face increasing pressure over the issue this year as glyphosate’s licence is up for renewal and wider UK-EU regulatory discussions continue.

Soil Association Campaign Co-ordinator Cathy Cliff said: “It’s clear from the strength of reaction we’ve had to our petition that no-one wants a chemical linked to cancer in their sandwiches or breakfast cereal. The UK is already lagging behind Europe which takes a much tougher stance on pesticides that pose a risk to human health. Many people have expressed shock that pre-harvest spraying is not already banned – our government must listen to the public who are rightly concerned about the health implications. We are urging them to do the right thing and remove glyphosate from our foods, while supporting farmers to find alternatives that protect nature and public health. Many farmers are already reducing their use of glyphosate and other harmful pesticides, and the government must work harder to support their efforts.”

The petition milestone follows a series of studies and reports highlighting both public concern around pesticides and the prevalence of glyphosate residues in food products.

The recent study from the leading veg box brand also found 70% of people feel they are being kept in the dark about the chemicals used in food production, with the same number admitting they’d be unlikely to eat a vegetable they knew had been sprayed with a "probably carcinogenic" chemical.

Glyphosate is such a persistent chemical that 28% of bread samples tested by the UK government and reported by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK were found to contain glyphosate chemical residue.

Despite this, the prevalence of glyphosate has skyrocketed in recent years with PAN announcing in April that its use in British farming has increased by 1,000% since 1990.

Campaigners argue that this reliance is a symptom of a wider problem. They say without better returns and greater support from retailers and government, farmers can be locked into practices that prioritise efficiency and cost over longer-term environmental and public health considerations.

Glyphosate has been under scrutiny for years and has been linked to a wide range of environmental impacts, including effects on soil health, water quality and wildlife.

In 2015 glyphosate was labelled as a probable carcinogen by the World Health Organisation and in March this year a group of international scientists gathered to review new science published over the last decade.
The expert statement issued after the Seattle Glyphosate Symposium stated that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) harm human health and can cause cancer.
It added: “The evidence that glyphosate and GBHs harm human health at levels of current use is now so strong that no additional delays in regulation of glyphosate can be justified.”

Rather than calling for an immediate blanket ban, campaigners have launched the petition to urge the government to take a clear first step by ending its use as a pre-harvest desiccant, a move they say would significantly reduce direct exposure through food.
Support the campaigns from Riverford and Soil Association: call on the government to ban glyphosate use on crops pre-harvest on the Soil Association's petition page.

And read more from Guy Singh-Watson on Riverford’s campaign: wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/BANglyphosate