Tauranga City Council will today look at loosening controls over the public use of chemicals in parks and reserves.

The review of the city's toxic agrichemical policy is a result of submissions received on the Coastal Reserves Management Plan last year.

Tauranga City Council will today look at its agrichemical policy.

Today's City Vision Committee meeting is being presented with recommendations to carry on as usual with the use of chemicals, while deciding at the same time that the whole underpinnings of council's poisons' policy be reviewed.

Included in the review is the future role of the Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum, a ‘brains trust' of independent advisors that offer advice on the use of chemicals and their likely effects on the ecosystems and people.

In submissions concern was raised over the suspected failure of the policy to meet its primary goal of protecting public health and principles of proactive reduction in use of agrichemicals, prudent avoidance, and preference of non-chemical vegetation control.

The public is also concerned at a lack of scientific literacy among council staff that are making the recommendations to council, but the greatest concern is over the continuing use of glyphosate, or RoundUp.

Council staff recommend a monitoring and reforming framework be developed to guide the implementation of the policy across all council maintained-land.

Staff also want the annual review of the Schedule 1 chemicals be changed because it is 'too restrictive” and a lengthy process to review each year.

Staff say the Toxic Agrichemical Advisory Forum does not provide a balanced advisory group and is not science-based, and that it doesn't have in-house scientific expertise to assess chemicals and so must rely on government regulation and assessment - and that the council has a duty to remove pest species on Council land and maintain Levels of Service and non-chemical methods cost more.

No alternative non-chemical methods have been trialled or evaluated since 2002.