Tavira Council is still buying and spraying glyphosate on verges and public spaces, despite the increasingly widespread rejection of the Monsanto weed-killer by governments, State authorities and farmers.
Tavira’s Left Bloc opposition tried to get the Socialist Council to stop the use of the chemical, sold under the name Roundup' which gets into the water supply and increasingly is linked to some forms of cancer.
In the last Tavira Council assembly, the Socialist Party voted against a proposal from the Left Bloc which wanted to improve environmental conditions and the health of local people by banning the chemical’s use.
The Left Bloc said that it had submitted a proposal "for the gradual elimination of the application of herbicides that have been proven to be carcinogenic, namely glyphosate, and the Socialist party voted against it."
In the same communiqué, the Bloc accuses the Socialsist, saying that it is, "intolerant the 19 Council members all voted against improving the environment of Tavira and the health of local perople."
The Bloquistas added that, "Portugal is the European country that uses glyphosate the most. Glyphosate is marketed in Portugal under various formulations, by companies such as Bayer and is sold in supermarkets and other stores and, unfortunately, is used with relative abundance by many Councils for the cleaning of weeds in the streets – ‘one of easiest ways to expose the population,’ according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.”
“The use of this substance is still a reality in our county and information about its application is not properly understood by the population, thus exposing itself to an unnecessary risk.”
According to the Bloc, "there are now alternatives to the use of products containing this substance, and exposure to glyphosate can be avoided by the population, thus minimising the emergence of health problems."
