The petition, which aimed to get 600 signatures, has now reached 526 people.

The campaign called on Leitrim County Council to prohibit the use of glyphosate-based weedkillers in all public places including public footpaths, road verges, council estates and amenity areas.

On the petition website, the campaigners outlined: “We are also calling on the county council to use alternative methods for weed control without the use of toxic herbicides.”

It also outlined invasive species Japanese knotweed as a major issue, but said that glyphosate was not the answer to this problem.

“Regarding the spread of the weed known as Japanese Knotweed, we are aware of the seriousness of this invasive species, but studies have concluded that the long-term use of glyphosate weedkillers do not kill Japanese knotweed. We demand that our county councils use traditional/organic solutions and methods to control any problematic weeds," they said.

The campaign has been underway now for three weeks.

Phil Hogan

In recent weeks, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan spoke out in defence of the product, clarifying that previous WTO finding on glyphosate was misconstrued.

“What they said is, if you take a particular product in excess, it causes cancer. They are saying that about beef and alcohol as well. Glyphosate has [to] be a part of a balance,” he said.

“If you read the small print, it is clearly saying that products that are applied in excess are bad for your health. If it is applied in a balanced way, it is safe,” he concluded.

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