John Stafford

Min-till and eco till are being pushed as progressive and helpful to the environment, with GLAS making a payment for them, and TAMS possibly also grant-aiding min-till equipment.

At the same time, glyphosate, which is absolutely essential to commercial min-til, is the victim of political posturing.

Billy Walsh

Glyphosate as a weedkiller is safe and effective. Banning it would leave me needing to use more expensive and toxic chemicals to do the same job, just not as well. It makes no sense to me. I haven't done the sprayer course. I'll be leaving that job to a contractor.

John Murphy

Without glyphosate, no tillage farmer could justify taking conacre ' it could be alive with weeds on you. I'd be very worried about other chemicals and their licensing. We are falling further and further behind the North and South Americans. We must protect the environment, but banning every thing is not a valid solution.

Bertie Warren

The joke is that there is no issue around glyphosate, and they're thinking of taking it away. Meanwhile, an issue I'd love to see the EU get their teeth into is substandard granular fertiliser. Farmers need protection as much as the environment does.

Sean Ryan

Potato growers are heavily dependant on glyphosate to clear ground before planting. There is no viable chemical to replace it, particularly for scutch and difficult weeds. Its removal from the market will hit margins and there's no justification for it.

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Full coverage: glyphosate