The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is delighted to release a document summarising the results of a survey on pesticide alternatives.
Circulated in 2024, the survey received 82 responses from Pollinator Plan partners, supporters, and members of the public. The results offer insight into the experiences people have had with popular pesticide alternatives such as manual control, hot foam, weed burning, and organic sprays.
Pesticide-Alternatives-Survey-Summary-AIPP-2025.pdf
Moving away from pesticides
Pesticides are potent chemical cocktails that can kill, harm and disorientate pollinators. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan encourages everyone to eliminate pesticides for the benefit of pollinators and biodiversity more widely. Plants that have traditionally been considered ‘weeds’, such as Dandelions, are often hugely valuable for biodiversity. We should learn to celebrate these native wildflowers, not remove them.
However, sometimes plants need to be removed for health and safety or other reasons. For decades, synthetic herbicides like glyphosate have been used to kill unwanted plants, but many studies have shown their harmful impact on environmental and human health. In recent years, individuals, groups, organisations and public bodies have tried to move away from harmful herbicides and use alternative methods for removing plants.
About the survey
Peer-reviewed research into pesticide alternatives is ongoing, but the move away from pesticides is happening now, and the need to eliminate harmful chemicals is urgent.
In 2024, the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan released a survey ‘Pesticide alternatives’. It was sent to a range of supporters and partners to the Pollinator Plan and was also made available to the general public. The survey received 82 anonymized responses and was completed by a range of different groups and individuals across the island of Ireland, including local authorities, community groups, Tidy Towns, group water schemes, landscape contractors and individuals.
The aim of the survey was to gather information on pesticide alternatives currently being used on the island of Ireland, how effective they are, and the challenges of using them. The survey focused on five common pesticide alternatives: hot foam, steam weed control, weed burning, manual control, and organic sprays.
The results of this survey do not constitute recommendations by the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, which must be evidence-based and backed up by science. Rather, the intention of this summary is to share the learnings of the survey and the lived experiences of pesticide alternatives on the island of Ireland to help people make more informed decisions when choosing alternatives to pesticides.
Find out more
Pesticide Alternatives 2024: A Summary
Pesticide alternatives homepage