The Ministry of Health, Seniors and Environment responded last night to questions from The Royal Gazette about banning the use of systemic herbicides.

According to a spokesman, the science surrounding glyphosate herbicides is “an evolving area” and local data is being collected “to inform the best local solution”.

It comes after environmental group The Buzz criticised the relaxation of a ban on the importation of ready-to-use products containing the chemical, which some studies have linked to cancer.

1. What is your response to the suggestion of banning the use of systemic herbicides?

“There are two families of herbicides, contact and systemic. Both have a place in weed management. A contact herbicide tends to act quickly, killing the portion of the weed it is sprayed on. They are useful for annual weeds. Systemic herbicides absorb into the system of the plant. These type tend to take longer than contact herbicides but kill the whole plant, even the hard to reach roots; usually on one application. Systemic herbicides are generally very effective against hard-to-remove perennial weeds.

“Systemic herbicides tend to be more thorough, able to kill larger weeds and result in the need for less applications, than contact weed treatments.

“Regardless of type of herbicide the Department of Environmental Protection evaluates each pesticide on a case-by-case basis for their acute toxicity, long term health effect and environmental impact, taking into consideration necessity of use and the applicators training.”

2. Ongoing glyphosate research

“The Department of Environmental Protection has been tasked with the development of a study to better understand the level of risk to the public from various potential exposure pathways.

“The question of whether glyphosate is present in Bermuda’s environment has proven to be extremely complicated to address. None of the testing for glyphosate can be done locally and even in the US it has proven to be a challenge to find the right combination of laboratories to test for the presence of glyphosate, their surfactants and their break down products. However these laboratories have now been identified and the study is on track for completion in July 2016.

“The study will only look for presence of these chemicals and not establish whether these products are carcinogenic. There are a number of contradictory studies on the issues associated with glyphosate. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialised cancer agency of the World Health Organisation study that prompted the original ban to import glyphosate found that the formulation of Roundup is probably carcinogenic.

“However, the subsequent European Food Safety Authority study in November 2015, reported that the chemical glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic hazard to humans. As such the Department has made sure to include in the Bermuda study the surfactants found in both Roundup and Rodeo. For clarity, Rodeo is made by DOW and used by the Ministry of Public Works on the roadsides, rather than Roundup which is made by Monsanto.”

3. Stakeholder consultation

“The finalising of the study dictated the timing of the public and stakeholder meeting. The Department has been in ongoing discussion with a number of stakeholders including various government departments and the Bermuda Farmers Association.

“The resulting glyphosate monitoring strategy was presented to the Environmental Authority at their meeting on Thursday, January 28. Subsequently a press release was made to the media on February 2. This press release was the basis of discussion with both a visiting Monsanto Group on February 3 and the public meeting on February 5.

“The Ministry is committed to open dialogue with all stakeholders to ensure balanced decision making regarding the use of herbicides, in order to ensure the minimum impact to humans and the environment, while addressing the need for effective weed control.”

4. Interim recommendation

“The Ministry recognises that there is a critical need to manage the island’s weeds. The Plant Protection Laboratory has been reviewing potential alternatives and likely candidates will be trialed with the assistance of other government agencies. Further, the Department will encourage the development of integrated pest management programs, which look to use a variety of mechanical and chemical means to manage Bermuda’s invasive plant problem.

“It is the Department of Environmental Protection’s position that, until a final decision is made on the use of glyphosates in Bermuda, ready-to-use systemic herbicides at less than 2 per cent active ingredient pose less of a risk to humans and the environment than poorly mixed solutions made from concentrate formulas (48 per cent).”