My oral question (see Youtube) on the use of Roundup put the Minister under pressure to act as several peers followed up with hard hitting points of their own. Roundup and Glyphosate herbicides can cause cancer, and farmers are required by law to keep their supply under lock and key. That law doesn’t apply to gardeners, who can store it and spray it where children regularly play.

Monsanto have acted with “malice and oppression” by selling it in full awareness of the risks. That is the clear verdict in a landmark case in the United States, which was upheld by an appeal judge. The victim has been awarded 78.6 million dollars in compensation for terminal cancer. Now Homebase and B&Q have said they are considering taking these weed-killers off their shelves. This is a modern day asbestos scandal – will the Government urgently review the evidence and stop this poison from being sprayed all over our gardens, parks and food supply?