A row has broken out in Cornwall after the county council announced plans to reintroduce chemical weed treatment using glyphosate, prompting a blistering response from more than 200 healthcare professionals and a scathing letter from Newquay Town Council.
The controversy centres on a directive from Cornwall Council’s Connectivity and Environment Service, dated 30th March 2026, which gave local parish and town councils until 20 April to decide whether to opt out of a new chemical weed treatment programme. Critics say the timescale – which ran over the Easter period – made genuine consultation impossible.
Newquay Town Council has described the approach as ‘unreasonable, top down and not conducive to working in partnership.’ In a letter to Cornwall Councillor Dan Rogerson, the town council said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ and accused the unitary authority of treating local councils ‘with contempt.’
The timing, the letter argues, is particularly problematic because town and parish councils set their annual budgets by the end of January. With budgets already fixed for 2026/27, the opt-out offer is described as “tokenistic and poorly thought through at best.”
Newquay Town Council has a Biodiversity and Nature Protection Policy, adopted in December 2024, which explicitly rules out the use of synthetic pesticides and non-organic methods on land it manages. The council says it is ‘staggered’ that Cornwall Council’s approach undermines its own commitments to the Climate Emergency declared in 2019, the Ecological Emergency of 2021, and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy of 2025.
Additionally, more than 200 health professionals from across Cornwall have signed an open letter warning that glyphosate – classified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as ‘probably carcinogenic to humans’ in 2015 – poses unacceptable risks.
The health professionals point to studies linking glyphosate exposure to increased risk of cancers, particularly lymphomas, as well as liver disease, foetal malformations, and neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. They also note that the adjuvants combined with glyphosate in commercial weedkillers have been shown to be toxic to human cells.
Particular concern is raised about the planned application on urban highways, including near schools and healthcare settings. The health experts warn that runoff from treated hard surfaces will inevitably enter drains, rivers and the sea, risking contamination of bathing waters.
Environmental concerns also feature prominently. Glyphosate is known to harm beneficial insects, aquatic life and soil health – all of which are vital for human health through pollination, clean water and natural pest control.
Newquay Town Council is now urging Cornwall Council to delay implementation and work constructively with local councils over the coming months to develop chemical-free alternatives. The town council has suggested that larger towns could cluster together to pool expertise and procurement for capital purchases to control weed growth without synthetic chemicals.
‘Cornwall Council has simply brought heat and light to this issue and damages reputations,’ the letter concludes, noting that public resources are now being consumed by petitions, complaints from angry residents, and significant media interest – ‘all of which was wholly avoidable and has been directly caused by Cornwall Council.’
The Health and Safety Executive is currently assessing glyphosate, which is approved for use until 15th December 2026. That assessment could lead to its renewal for up to 15 years, but health professionals and the town council argue that Cornwall Council should be moving away from the chemical regardless.
Photo: Aleksander Dumała
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