Perth Voice Interactive

THE label says not to use glyphosate in winds above 8km an hour, but the King’s Park Botanic Garden Authority was spraying the weed killer with abandon Monday morning, ahead of a fearsome storm.

The label also states the product isn’t effective if there’s “rainfall soon after application,” because it simply washes off, is diluted and disappears.

While authorities insist the weed-killer is safe, particularly in the low concentrations approved for general usage, it continues to have its critics.

Jane Bremmer from the Alliance for a Clean Environment says it’s “unbelievable that during these wild storms here in Perth that King’s Park, on the first day of the kids’ school holidays, would be out there spraying glyphosate”.

She’s led a campaign to replace spraying with hand-weeding near her home, but if the King’s Park authority is going to spray she at least wants it to abide by the label on the bottle.

Authority executive officer Liz Suttie says the spraying “was done for only a very short period early on July 7 to control weeds along a road verge in King’s Park and Botanic Garden, using a low-pressure knapsack sprayer.

“Site weather conditions were assessed prior to application to minimise the potential off-site effects. Signs advising the public of the activity were prominently displayed.”

The Voice pointed out the label said not to bother ahead of rain (a downpour was forecast for Monday) but Ms Suttie says a surfactant was used to increase the plant’s uptake of the herbicide.

by DAVID BELL