News

First of all, it’s important to state that INNSA support the UK Environment Agency (EA) both in terms of its existence and the role it plays. We recognise the good work done both on the ground and academically, as well as the good service, cooperation and contracts that we as a company have received over the years from professionals in several departments including permitting, water quality and flood management.

We also recognise that the EA is sadly underfunded relative to the functions we expect it to perform. As a country we don’t give enough respect or value to the environment and this is sadly reflected in the budgets of the EA, Canals and Rivers Trust and various other bodies.

None of the above means that we shouldn’t be able to disagree with individual decisions from the EA or criticise government policy as a whole.

Glyphosate resistance was confirmed in the UK in a single population of Italian rye grass in February this year. Glyphosate resistance is a significant problem worldwide – glyphosate resistance was first documented in 1996 and has been reported in 31 countries and sixty reported species, primarily in agricultural environments, where glyphosate is used to control weeds to improve yields.

Herbicide resistance can be compared to antibiotic resistance, in the sense that problematic weed infestations that would normally be controlled using glyphosate now require alternative interventions. Fortunately there are other methods of control available, including physical controls that plants have no realistic prospect of establishing resistance to. However, glyphosate resistance is a drag on yields and financial viability of modern farming methods.

The Law Society TA6 form is used in most domestic conveyancing transactions in England and Wales and recent versions up to and including the latest version (5^th Edition, 2024), the form has made reference to Japanese knotweed. The question “Is the property affected by Japanese knotweed?” has the possible answers ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘Not known’.

The explanatory notes for the form state that “If you choose ‘No’ as an answer, you must be certain that, even if you cannot see any growth above ground, no rhizome (root) is present in the ground of the property or within three metres of the property boundary…  If you are not sure, indicate this as ‘Not known’.”

This question has been circulating, and festering over the last few years.

If you expect this article to “explore” the question and come to a caveated, mealy-mouthed conclusion about how “any plant can be a problem” and how “you should consult a specialist for any plant-related problem”, then let’s put that to bed right away.

So, insurance backed guarantees are brilliant, right?

You get protection if the company providing your Japanese knotweed remediation programme goes bust, on top of the contractor’s written guarantee – which now often stretches to a full ten years.

So why am I bitching about them *again*?