Malta should now consider total ban

Friends of the Earth Malta has hailed government’s decision to implement a ban on products containing controversial weed killer glyphosate from public spaces as a step in the right direction.

Martin Galea De Giovanni, Director of Friends of the Earth Malta said that “this is a positive step since tests carried out by Friends of the Earth Malta in 2013 showed that traces of the weed killer glyphosate were found in 9 out of 10 people tested.” This was followed by a government announcement in 2016 that it was in the process of implementing a total ban on glyphosate – a process that was never fully implemented.

This announcement shows responsibility from government’s side as it chose to listen to the concerns of experts and individuals who have demanded that our fields, streets and gardens would be free from this risky weed killer.

Friends of the Earth Malta now hopes that government will take the next step and implement a total ban of glyphosate in Malta since national states have the right to decide on which pesticides can be removed from the market nationally.