Glyphosate at Blackbutt Reserve

Do you remember Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich?

In that story it’s obvious who the “good guys” are and who the “bad guys” are. Right now are we on the wrong side or the right side if we do not act? I think there is a risk that we are representing the inertia she fought.

Back in May, I raised concerns that glyphosate was being used in Blackbutt Reserve. I’ve since received confirmation from the Blackbutt & Natural Areas Manager that while it isn’t Roundup, it is another brand of glyphosate. I also contacted our three Green Councillors, and Charlotte McCabe responded, agreeing that this needs attention.

This isn’t abstract. Your health, your children’s health, your grandchildren’s health are at stake. We are interdependent with nature, we are nature, and yet for the sake of “efficiency” we are justifying damage that cannot be undone. Not just for us, but for every generation that follows.

If glyphosate is now showing up in wines, including Penfolds Grange, what is happening to the plants, insects, birds, animals, and soil in Blackbutt? Once glyphosate enters an ecosystem, it cannot be removed. Ever.

And the heartbreaking part?
This is a low‑hanging fruit.

There are so many alternatives: goats (as used in Brasilia), community mowing, ground‑cover planting, or simply letting nature take its course as they now do across Europe to support insect life. Even the small park below Montmartre in Paris is left to grow naturally. This is the new direction.

Newcastle could lead rather than lag.

If you care about this and I hope you do, please share and copy and paste the letter below and send it to Council. The more voices, the more urgency, the more likely we see change.

Letter to send to Council

charlotte@newcastlegreens.org.au

Good morning Charlotte,

I’m writing to ask where things currently stand with this extremely important issue. Stoke Wines recently shared lab results showing significant levels of glyphosate in several wines, including Penfolds Grange and a low‑cost wine. If this is what’s appearing in bottled products, what is happening to all life in Blackbutt? To our broccoli, our baby food, our animals, insects, birds, and the wider ecosystem? As you know, once glyphosate is in the environment, we cannot remove it. Ever.

What does this mean for future generations? We risk increasing degenerative conditions because we have prioritised “efficiency” over the health of the living systems that sustain us. We have collectively been distracted; scrolling, bickering, streaming, shopping, instead of insisting on change. We all watched Julia Roberts fight the system in Erin Brockovich, yet we are now representing the inertia she fought.

This is actually a low‑hanging fruit in environmental protection. There are many alternatives to using this poison: the approach used in Brasilia with goats managing grass; community mowing; planting ground‑cover species; or simply allowing nature to take its course, as is now common across Europe to support insect life. Even the small park below Montmartre in Paris is left to grow naturally, this is the new direction.

Let’s lead rather than lag.

Please, let’s see meaningful action on this.
Kind regards,

YOUR NAME

If you are needing assistance with mindfulness, start with our free resources on our website: https://themindfulnessclinic.com.au/resources/