The Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister appeared to conflate glyphosate, a herbicide, with fertiliser during questioning in Tynwald this morning.
Responding to Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson’s query on whether DEFA holds records of glyphosate use and whether an impact assessment has been carried out, Clare Barber confirmed the department keeps no usage data but stressed the product remains approved in the UK until December 2026, and in the EU until 2033.
She noted that removing glyphosate “would likely result in increased tillage, higher emissions, greater costs, and ultimately reduced food production.”
However, later in the exchange the Minister said DEFA was looking at “fertiliser” and “some of the elements within the agri‑environment scheme that incentivise people to move away from some of these fertilisers,” despite the topic under debate being glyphosate, a weed killer rather than a nutrient product.
A further exchange with Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse saw both parties refer again to “this fertiliser” when discussing potential runoff into the drainage system, even though glyphosate is not a fertiliser.
The Minister did not correct the terminology during the sitting.
You can listen to the exchange below:
