Promoting Best Practice

With a GB consultation on glyphosate imminent, and growing pressure from a small cohort creating public debate about the future of vegetation management, it is important that discussions remain balanced, evidence-based and focused on practical outcomes. For the Amenity Forum, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) must remain at the heart of future decision-making across the amenity sector.Recent media coverage and ongoing discussions about glyphosate have once again brought vegetation management in amenity settings into the spotlight. Public interest in how we manage our parks, highways, rail corridors, housing estates, sports facilities and public open spaces is both understandable and welcome. These spaces play an important role in our communities and there is growing expectation that they should be managed in ways that protect biodiversity, minimise environmental impact and contribute to wider sustainability goals.However, the debate can sometimes become polarised, framed as a simple choice between chemical and non-chemical approaches. The reality is far more complex. The amenity sector is incredibly diverse. The challenges faced by a local authority managing thousands of miles of pavement are very different from those faced by a golf course, sports club, rail operator, utility company or housing provider. What they have in common is a responsibility to maintain spaces that are safe, accessible, functional and sustainable. This is where Integrated Pest Management plays a vital role.IPM is often misunderstood as simply reducing pesticide use. In practice, it is about making evidence-based, site-specific and proportionate decisions. It encourages managers to consider a range of approaches, including prevention, design, maintenance practices, monitoring, mechanical control and biological solutions, before deciding whether intervention is required and, if so, what form that intervention should take. Importantly, IPM is not about replacing one tool with another. It is about understanding the strengths and limitations of all available options and selecting the most appropriate combination for a particular situation.Across the amenity sector, many organisations are already making significant progress. Herbicide use is being reduced through targeted application, improved mapping technologies, revised maintenance regimes and greater tolerance of low-risk vegetation where appropriate. The sector is increasingly focused on justifying treatment decisions rather than relying on routine applications. Training, operator competence and record keeping are also becoming increasingly important in demonstrating stewardship and maintaining public confidence.Preventative maintenance has an important role to play. Sweeping and brushing programmes can help reduce the build-up of detritus that encourages weed establishment on hard surfaces. Good design, improved drainage and proactive maintenance can all reduce the need for intervention over time.There is also strong interest across the sector in technologies such as hot water, foam, electricity, robotics and other non-chemical approaches. Many of these have an important role to play and continue to evolve. However, their effectiveness can vary depending on timing, weather conditions, surface type, frequency of treatment and available resources. Questions also remain around scalability, consistency, cost and, in many cases, carbon impact. In most situations, particularly where invasive or injurious weeds are involved, practical alternatives remain limited. The question is therefore not whether a solution is chemical or non-chemical, but which combination of tools delivers the safest, most practical and most sustainable outcome.The amenity sector also faces the challenge of balancing environmental ambition with operational and financial realities. Local authorities, contractors and land managers are under increasing pressure to deliver high standards of maintenance while managing constrained budgets and growing public expectations. Experience across the sector has shown that there is no single solution suitable for every location. While some organisations have successfully reduced glyphosate use, others have reported increased costs, greater resource requirements and less effective vegetation control, highlighting the importance of retaining flexibility to use the most appropriate combination of tools for individual sites.It is also worth remembering that glyphosate remains one of the most extensively studied and scrutinised plant protection products in the world. Its approval is subject to rigorous scientific assessment by independent regulatory authorities, which continually review evidence relating to human health and environmental safety. As the industry prepares for the forthcoming GB glyphosate consultation, the Amenity Forum believes future decisions must be informed by robust evidence, practical experience and operational data. Environmental considerations are critically important, but they must be considered alongside public safety, accessibility, affordability and long-term sustainability.These themes will be explored further at the Amenity Forum Annual Conference and Dinner on 7–8 October at Ashorne Hill & British Motor Museum, Warwickshire, where delegates will discuss the future of Integrated Pest Management and consider how the sector can continue to evolve in a responsible and practical way.The Amenity Forum looks forward to engaging constructively with the consultation process and helping to ensure that the sector’s practical experience, commitment to professional standards and adoption of Integrated Pest Management are reflected in future policy discussions.Ian Graham Chairman

The Amenity Forum has appointed Ian Barnett, Regional Technical Manager (South West UK) at DLF Seeds, to its Board of Directors.Ian brings more than 30 years’ experience in the amenity and turf sector, working with local authorities, contractors, sports facilities, turf growers and land managers across the UK. His appointment further strengthens the breadth of expertise represented on the Forum’s Board.Ian Graham, Chair of the Amenity Forum, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ian to the Board. He brings a wealth of technical expertise and practical experience from across the amenity sector, together with a strong understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing those responsible for managing our landscapes, sports facilities and public spaces.As the sector responds to changing environmental expectations, regulatory developments and the need to attract and develop skilled professionals, Ian’s insight and experience will be invaluable. We look forward to working with him as the Forum continues to promote best practice, professional competence and responsible amenity management.”Ian Barnett said: “I am proud to join the Board of the Amenity Forum. The Forum plays an important role in bringing the sector together, promoting best practice and helping to ensure those working in amenity management are informed, connected and supported.I look forward to working with fellow Directors and stakeholders from across the industry to help advance the Forum’s objectives and support the continued development of the sector.”As part of our new ‘Meet the Board’ series, we spoke to Ian Barnett about the opportunities and challenges facing the amenity sector and what he hopes to achieve as a Director.Q&A: Ian Barnett What attracted you to the Amenity Forum and the opportunity to join its Board? I wanted to join the Board because I believe the Amenity Forum provides an important voice for the amenity sector. Bringing together organisations from across the industry to share knowledge, promote best practice and support professional standards has never been more important. The sector faces a range of opportunities and challenges, from environmental change and biodiversity enhancement to skills and regulation, and I am keen to play a part in helping the Forum support its members and the wider industry.Why is the work of the Amenity Forum important? The Amenity Forum provides an important voice for the sector. Education is a huge part of that. Everything we do affects the public, so it is vital that we are both educated and able to educate others. The Forum helps raise awareness of the work being done to create and manage habitats whilst promoting best practice and ensuring we operate legally, responsibly and professionally.What are the biggest trends you are seeing in the amenity sector? One of the biggest growth areas is wildflowers, particularly within the public sector. Wildflower areas can help organisations meet environmental commitments whilst creating attractive habitats that are lower maintenance and more cost effective than traditional intensively managed turf. There is also increasing interest in sustainable planting solutions, including grasses requiring less irrigation and varieties better suited to changing environmental conditions. Alongside this, the reduction in available curative chemistry continues to drive innovation in disease-resistant grass varieties and alternative management approaches.What do you hope to achieve as a Director? I would like to see the Forum continue to strengthen its role as a trusted voice for the amenity sector, supporting professional competence, promoting best practice and helping the industry respond to changing environmental, regulatory and societal expectations. Bringing organisations together and encouraging collaboration will be increasingly important as the sector addresses future challenges.The Board of Directors comprises representatives from a broad range of organisations and disciplines, reflecting the diversity of the amenity sector. Further profiles of Board members will be published over the coming months.

Over 60 members and industry representatives attended the latest Amenity Forum Updating Event, bringing together expertise from across the amenity sector.The event featured a wide-ranging programme covering the future regulatory landscape, practical approaches to weed, pest and disease management, and the increasing importance of demonstrating responsible and evidence-based practice across the sector.Agenda items included updates on the forthcoming GB glyphosate consultation, the latest data on pesticide inspection visits from HSE, integrated pest management approaches, digital record keeping and the role of technology in supporting professional standards and compliance. Speakers also explored the practical implications of evolving environmental expectations and regulatory scrutiny for operators across the amenity sector.There was a shared focus on professionalism, practical delivery and ensuring the sector continues to engage positively with evolving environmental and regulatory expectations. The event also reinforced the importance of collaboration and collective industry engagement around key issues such as the GB glyphosate consultation and the continued development of integrated pest management approaches.Richard Stow, Managing Director of Weedfree Ltd, sponsor of the first Updating Event of 2026, said: “The event highlighted both the complexity of vegetation management and the importance of sharing knowledge and practical experience across the sector. It was encouraging to see such constructive discussion around integrated approaches, innovation and maintaining high professional standards.A clear theme was the importance of collaboration across the sector to ensure that future policy discussions and regulatory decisions remain practical, proportionate and informed by operational realities on the ground.”If you were unable to catch the live event, please click on the button below for the full edition.The Amenity Forum continues to work with members, regulators and stakeholders to promote best practice, professionalism and responsible management across the amenity sector.