There are growing concerns after a new study found the use of a potentially toxic pesticide has increased by 1000% In the UK.

Scientists have reacted to the study by the Pesticide Action Network UK (PANUK) which analysed government figures and found that the amount of glyphosate being applied to UK crops has risen from 200 metric tonnes per year in 1990 to more than 2,200 tonnes in 2024.

The study added major increases have been seen on a wide range of crops. For example, more than 66 tonnes of glyphosate were applied to British potatoes in 2024, up from 1.5 tonnes in 1990.

“During the same time period, the area of UK farmland treated with the toxic herbicide increased tenfold to over 2.6 million hectares in 2024, sixteen times the size of Greater London. The vast majority of these increases took place within the arable sector, with cereals (wheat, barley, and maize) leading the way,” the study explained.

Nick Mole, Policy Officer, PAN UK added: “Today’s figures reveal that the UK’s glyphosate addiction has spiralled out of control. Our overuse of this toxic chemical is leading to a whole host of problems, yet we continue to spray it on the food we eat and places where our children play. We know that glyphosate has links to a range of cancers and other life-threatening diseases. And that it damages the environment, polluting our waters and harming wildlife. The government urgently needs to commit to phase out – and ultimately ban – glyphosate and support farmers and local councils to adopt safe and sustainable alternatives. Otherwise, we will all continue to pay the price.”

Leading scientists have expressed their concerns over the results.

Dr Wayne Carter, associate professor at the University of Nottingham, said the use of glyphosate raised a number of questions.

“The increased use of glyphosate poses a potential health concern for individuals who are extensively exposed,” he explained. “As with any other pesticide, glyphosate can be toxic, depending upon the level of exposure, either acutely or potentially chronically. The public may be exposed to glyphosate via food or by using certain weedkillers, but some people may be more responsive to the toxic effects than others and the level/duration of exposure is also crucial – the human health impact of everyday exposure for most people in the UK is very difficult to determine.  The increased usage of glyphosate should be paralleled with increased biomonitoring of human exposure to ensure that this stays within the suggested safety limits.”

Dr Helen Metcalfe, agricultural ecologist, Rothamsted Research, agreed.

“Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide, and one of the most contested.” She explained. “The debate spans science, policy, and public opinion. Glyphosate use in the UK has increased dramatically in recent times and the recent confirmation of glyphosate resistance in a UK arable weed population served as a serious warning sign. When resistance evolves in a key herbicide, the tool can become ineffective.

“However, glyphosate remains one of the most important tools available to farmers, but we must remember it is only one component of a broader integrated weed management toolkit, and the priority must be to preserve its long-term efficacy.

“Minimum tillage systems (which minimise soil disturbance) help to preserve soil structure, build carbon, and reduce erosion. They are central to regenerative and conservation agriculture. But removing tillage requires an alternative means of weed control, and glyphosate currently provides the most effective substitute for the mechanical destruction of weed seedlings that tillage achieves. It is for this reason that glyphosate sits at the heart of the farming systems best positioned to deliver soil health benefits at scale.

“The appropriate response is responsible stewardship: reducing overall glyphosate use to essential use cases, integrating glyphosate within broader rotation-based weed management strategies, and adhering to best practice guidelines on resistance management, human health, and environmental safety.“

Professor Toby Bruce, professor of insect ecology, Keele University, said there needed to be a  more reasoned approach to the debate adding the substance was not as harmful as many protestors claim.

“Glyphosate has extremely low human toxicity but is also extremely effective at killing a wide range of plants,” he said. “It is a useful herbicide that facilitates adoption of conservation agriculture, where cover crops can be grown to protect the soil, and then sprayed off later with glyphosate, to allow preparation of the land for the subsequent food crop being drilled.

“Glyphosate has been demonised by pressure groups, perhaps because it is the herbicide that is used together with GM herbicide resistant crops. The anti-synthetic pesticide pressure groups often also dislike GM crops, as an ‘a priori’ anti-technology stance regardless of evidence.”