Extinction Rebellion: Sheffield protestors visit Garden Centres dressed as Bees to protest weed killer sales

Extinction Rebellion protestors have visited a number of Sheffield garden centres to protest the sale and use of Glyphosate weed killers - dressed as bees.

The group were peacefully talking to the visitors of four local centres about their demands for farmers to stop using Glyphosate; for shops to stop selling Glyphosate; and for Sheffield City Council to stop spraying the chemical around the city.

A spokesperson for the group of bees said: "It was great to receive such a positive response from customers at the garden centres we visited. The vast majority said that they very much support our stance and never buy products containing glyphosate, or other pesticides.

"The very few who did not know that glyphosate kills bees, worms and other insects were glad, if horrified, to be informed of that."

The group wrote letters to the targeted centres, demanding they stop selling the products - something Waitrose, B&Q and Co-op have reportedly already done.

Managers of some of the centres were said to be "not welcoming" of the group of bee-themed protestors, defending their right to sell the products. Sheffield Extinction Rebellion said Valleyside Garden Centre in Crosspool told them they were running their stock of Glyphosate down and didn't intend to sell it in the future.

The protestors' spokesperson continued: "It was gratifying to learn from some of the garden centre managers and staff that they are working to phase out Glyphosate from their shelves and promote nature-friendly gardening.

"Garden Centres need to ensure they are helping their customers work with nature, rather than against it. We found today that their customers would support this, but their links to companies like Bayer which manufacture these poisonous products are still strong." 

What are the dangers of Glyphosate?

According to Sheffield Extinction Rebellion, 60 per cent of flying insects in this country have been lost over the last 20 years.

Harmful pesticides and herbicides, like Glyphosate, are partly to blame for this.

The group also said recent studies have named pesticides as the key driver in "major declines" in pollinator populations around the world, which are relied upon to pollinate crops.