Glyphosate is a toxic herbicide that damages your garden – and your health. And yet glyphosate continues to be the most widely and heavily used agrichemical worldwide, in agriculture, parks and gardens.

Absorbed through foliage, this weed killer inhibits the plant’s ability to grow healthily and eventually leads to death. But research has shown it also has damaging effects on soil, wildlife and human health.

We intend to run a ‘Growers Against Glyphosate’ campaign in early May calling on the government to ban this dangerous pesticide for amateur and urban use.

But we need your help to raise funds for this campaign! Between 22-29 April Big Give’s Earth Raise campaign will be doubling your donations.

Simply click this link from 12 midday on 22 April to donate!

Why now?

We urgently need your support for this campaign. The glyphosate license in Great Britain expires on 15 December 2026, at which time Government will decide whether to renew it.

A public consultation is planned for June 2026, and will last for 60 days - hosted on the HSE consultation website.

Once we have funds in place, we’ll be rolling out a ‘Growers Against Glyphosate’ campaign on 11 May to put pressure on the Government to ban glyphosate for gardeners and stop or reduce usage by councils.

We’ll be encouraging you to sign and share a petition, write to your MP, and take part in the public consultation. A big part of our campaign will be sharing organic weed management techniques with growers and gardeners, as an alternative to toxic chemicals.

Why do we want to ban glyphosate?

It's probably carcinogenic: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says that glyphosate is safe. However, most of its research is provided by the industry that created the herbicide. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) labelled glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic”. Another groundbreaking global glyphosate study, published in August 2025, linked glyphosate to multiple cancers, even when it was used within EU limits. PAN UK found cancer-linked pesticides, including glyphosate, in eight out of 13 children’s playgrounds.
It's leaching into food: There continues to be unacceptable levels of glyphosate (and other pesticides) found in food, according to PAN UK. In the US, the Rodale Institute found 39 out of 44 restaurant food samples contained glyphosate.
It damages the environment: Research shows glyphosate formulations also destroy microorganisms in healthy soil, and affect earthworms. Other studies show it damages soil bacteria by up to 73%. Recent research suggests glyphosate can impact bees by disrupting honeybee foraging and threatens the long-term stability of hives.
It's part of a lethal cocktail: Glyphosate is rarely used on its own, but as part of a chemical cocktail - for instance with the trade name Roundup or Weedol, and these formulations are potentially far more dangerous.

To learn more about the impacts of glyphosate and pesticide-free growing head to our Pesticide Hub.

What is Earth Raise?

Big Give’s Earth Raise, formerly the Green Match Fund, is a seven-day online match funding campaign dedicated to helping charities play a vital role in tackling pressing environmental issues, run in partnership with the Environmental Funders Network (EFN). Find out more here.

Don't forget to double your donations between 22-29 April - and support this important campaign. Follow us @gardenorganicuk for updates, or hashtag #GrowersAgainstGlyphosate.