Farmers are bracing themselves for the first weed in the UK that cannot be killed by the most effective herbicide.
Italian ryegrass – which affects cereals including wheat, one of the UK’s most important crops – has been found at a farm in Kent to have become resistant to glyphosate.
The news that the chemical is powerless against the weed is a potential blow for farmers beginning to prepare fields for 2025 spring crops amid rising costs and tightening margins.
However, experts say there is no threat to the UK food supply or food prices.
David Exwood, of the National Farmers’ Union, said: ‘Glyphosate plays a vital role in enabling farmers to produce high-quality, affordable food and deliver environmental sustainability.
Crop harvesting in Ashford, Kent last summer. Farmers are facing the first weed which is resistant to herbicides
Italian ryegrass has been found in a farm in Kent to be resistant to glyphosate (file photo)
Resistance has been found in Spain and Italy in recent decades, but neither escalated into widespread problems.’
Weed science consultant John Cussans said the problem could be ‘massively consequential’ for farmers who could have to mechanically dig out weeds, which is bad for the soil and could mean they lose subsidies for environmentally friendly farming.