Pesticide-Free Cambridge

02/06/2026

Pesticide-Free Cambridge will again have a stall at Friends of the Cam's 6th Declaration of the Rights of the River Cam festival: Midsummer solstice, Sunday 21 June, 4.30 pm to late. Please do join us there, pick up some of our leaflets and postcards, find out about our new campaigns, and sign our two about-to-be launched petitions. And crucially, take part in the redeclaration of the rights of the river cam, and enjoy the amazing round of talks, music, and performances that continue into the night.... Details on the link:
https://www.friendsofthecam.org/content/midsummer-celebration-rights-river-cam

29/05/2026

looking forward to being part of this. Do please join us on 17 June for what is sure to be an interesting discussion. We at Pesticide-Free Cambridge will be talking about the impact of household and garden pesticides (garden ‘plant protection chemicals' as well as insecticidal sprays and powders used in and around the built environment) on hedgehogs and related environmental conservation matters. Free but registration needed (see links below) South Cambs Zero Carbon Communities On the Verge Cambridge

@🦔🦔🦔🌱🪻🌻
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗴 : 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲

📆Wednesday 17 June 7-8pm ONLINE

What do wild verges have to do with hedgehogs?
How do you make your garden more wildlife and pollinator friendly?
How can you use less pesticides and increase biodiversity on the land you manage?
What can you do to help your spiky friends thrive?

Find out the answer to these questions in this interactive webinar with

On the Verge Cambridge
SWCC - Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital
HI Sustainability
HI Hedgehog Champions
Pesticide-Free Cambridge

This workshop is open to everyone who is interested, and free of charge.

🆂🅸🅶🅽 🆄🅿 🅷🅴🆁🅴
https://forms.office.com/e/TNH2cPzBdh

This event is a part of the Cambridge Nature Festival
https://cambridgenaturenetwork.org/event/the-hedge-the-hog-helping-wildlife-one-verge-at-a-time/

South Cambridgeshire District Council

14/05/2026

Another damning report on the state of our nation’s food as far as pesticide-contamination is concerned:

Greenpeace finds cocktail of pesticides including seven banned in EU may have been used on seven vegetables and soft fruit categories

29/04/2026

more tragic deaths from pesticide poisoning in India... this case illustrates the permeability between agricultural/outdoor and non-agricultural/urban/habitational spaces when it comes to pesticide use and storage... not necessarily the chemicals themselves but the actual treated product.. this time it was wheat, but it could equally apply to cotton or just about anything.

On Monday night, all the children and their mothers slept in a closed rear room of the house, where nearly four quintals of wheat had been stored.

29/04/2026

Thank you PAN Europe (Pesticide Action Network) for highlighting the far-reaching human health impacts of synthetic pesticide use, that include cancer, yes, but also neurological, hormonal and multi-systemic organ damage... and of course such chemical usage goes way beyond those pesticides commonly used in garden contexts such as glyphosate. We’re more likely to be exposed in ways that make us sick to synthetic pesticides and other hormone disruptors in and around our homes, schools, and businesses, than we are in outdoor green spaces. Let’s work towards a ban, yes, but in the interim, what is needed is full disclosure as an essential public health measure... clear labelling, proper signposting, and full embedding within appropriate policy documentation (biodiversity, air pollution, housing standards, accessibility, product design, consumer rights etc etc etc).

🧬 Endocrine disruptors can increase cancer risk and disturb the immune and nervous system function. They can also lead to developmental malformations and interfere with reproduction. Ban all , including pesticides now!



https://www.pan-europe.info/campaigns/disrupting-food-edc-free-europe

29/04/2026

Important paper on links between cancer aetiology and human ‘exposome’ (lifetime environmental exposures) variables that include the following, particularly nasty, 14 synthetic pesticide groups: 2,4-D, atrazine, acetochlor, chlordane, dicamba, malathion, DDT, heptachlor, lindane, glyphosate, mesotrione, metolachlor, picloram and toxaphene.

Maas, S.C.E., Baraibar, I., Lemler, L. et al. 2026. 'Epigenetic fingerprints link early-onset colon and re**al cancer to pesticide exposure'. Nat Med.

An analysis of exposome traits in patients with early-onset colore**al cancer (CRC) (

21/04/2026

Great news that steps are being taken to ban common veterinary insecticides. However let this not be another diversion (as has the emphasis on Glyphosate) away from other ubiquitous sources of synthetic insecticides currently flying off the shelf of just about every UK supermarket and DIY store, namely sprays and powders used to kill ants, wasps, flies, spiders, moths etc. Most contain permethrin and other highly toxic Pyrethroids and worse and are just as, if not more likely sources of contamination for birds than dog flea treatments. Walk down just about any street in the the UK, and you’ll see piles of white powder outside people’s houses, pubs, hotels, and yes, schools and colleges: ‘ant powder’. Being a powder this stuff gets EVERYWHERE, both inside and outside, and it is far from benign as many people assume. With active ingredients ranging from Pyrethroids to the nerve-agent, Bendiocarb, ant powder is significantly more toxic, more environmentally persistent, and more volatile than Glyphosate which dominates urban pesticide campaigning agendas, with dog flea drops following close behind. Hope this stuff gets banned, but we need to look at the bigger picture beyond the tip of the iceberg. Hence our current and ongoing campaigns being targeted in this direction. See our website for details (https://www.pesticidefreecambridge.org/2024-manifesto).

"The analysis [of bird feathers] found pesticides in 100% of feather samples, including permethrin in 98%, imidacloprid in 88% and fipronil in 72%.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/21/calls-restrict-pet-flea-products-study-finds-neurotoxins-bird-feathers

Chemicals known to affect brains of common garden birds, and to kill unborn chicks, found in most feather samples

14/02/2026

Want to avoid poisoning yourself and loved ones? Buy organic, ideally locally grown, flowers.

Bouquets imported to Europe found to be heavily contaminated, often with chemicals banned in EU and UK

29/01/2026

seems that buying ‘organic’ fish isn’t enough to avoid pesticides....

Information tribunal rules Soil Association must disclose salmon farm inspection reports to WildFish campaigners

29/01/2026

Buy organic apples.

Pan Europe found several pesticide residues in 85% of apples, with some showing traces of up to seven chemicals