Contaminated Manure

[glallotments]

Oops -I didn't know you had to be a member either! I'm not a member of the RHS but I seem to get replies!!! Who did you email?

Are the tomatoes growing in the same area as where the other tomatoes were growing.

I think if I were you I would contact DOW and ask them what is happening? If you email manurematters@stewardship-ltd.co.uk you will make contact with the guy who DOW have employed to deal with aminopyralid problems.

There does seem to be something more to all this than is apparent. My plot neighbours potatoes haven't been anywhere near any herbicide and yet have the distinct symptoms which the RHS agree are consistent with hormonal herbicide damage. It seems just to store tubers in the same area as the herbicide can affect their later growth. I have also had one report of someone growing a broad bean in a plant pot of contaminated soil. A tomato plant growing alongside it and not touching it in any way is also showing symptoms.

It almost seems that the affected plant is giving of residue into the air. It's all a bit sci-fi really isn't it?

[Johnboy]

Hi Glallotments,
I take note with great interest of the experiment going on with the Bean versus the Tomato! I think that if this proves to be positive then the Amino Pyralid must never be allowed back on the market. I think that a more rigorous scientific research should be pursued.
There have been several hormone pesticides in the past and I think back in the dim and distant past they were all banned eventually.
As you appreciate I am not totally against the use of pesticides but as soon as the slightest thing that appears they should be tested and retested and it would appear that our toothless, motley shower are being led by Dow themselves. This is simply not good enough.
JB.

[davew]

i emailed the RHS at gardeningadvice@rhs.org.uk and was told i needed to be a member first, i also emailed dow at ukhotline@dow.com and never recieved a reply i will try the other link you have posted.
i've planted three more tomato plants two are in the same position as the old ones that were affected but only one is showing signs of damage and the other one is on the other side of the poytunnel were the manure has never been and thats also affected, it's really strange it's beginning to do my head in.

[realfood]

These effects of growing plants in close proximity to each other are strange.
However, I have two rows of potatoes which were grown in the soil in very close proximity to each other under a Lidl poly tunnel. One row had contaminated manure under it and, as you would expect, all the potatoes are stunted. The row next to it had no manure and are superb. No cross-contamination effects, even though they were under the same covering.

[glallotments]

Davew,
It's doing my head in too - I just can't understand what is happening. I have been told that tubers stored with a herbicide can be affected by vapours being given off but some of these reports and others received to my website are just weird.

I am going to try and follow this up with DOW as I have a meeting arranged with their manurematters person the week after next.

[davew]

i've now tried both email addys for dow and no replies

[realfood]

It took about a week for Dow to reply to me.
Trading Standards arrived at our allotments today to take away samples for testing. I had to explain to them all about the chemical involved.

[glallotments]

Real Food,
It will be interesting to see what Trading Standard have to say as when I contacted them last year they said that it didn't come within their remit!

[realfood]

It was one of the other plotters who contacted trading standards about his plot. I just told them about what I knew about the chemical, as they knew nothing. I think they were interested in the source of the problem, the silage supplier which probably is within their remit.

[realfood]

In view of fact that there are plans by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides to re-license Aminopyralid, I have written to my MP requesting that this be opposed.
I came across a useful website which gives the name and contact details of all elected Representatives. You just input your post code and up comes the information. You can then write within the same website and your letter is sent directly to your MP.
The site is www.writetothem.com
The more people that write to their MP opposing the re-licensing of Aminopyralid, the more likely it is to be effective.

[Compo]

Good WEBSITE

Letter Sent

CoMpO

[glallotments]

The problem was mentioned in the Hansard on July 6 see http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090706/text/90706w0005.htm Scroll down to the heading Pesticides.
Thanks to Mark for posting a message in my website guestbook drawing attention to this. The last ACP minutes haven't been published yet.

A couple of weeks ago I had a meeting with the independent consultant appointed by DOW to look into the stewardship of aminopyralid products. It was at his request as he wanted to explain how the stewardship of the product should it be relicensed would work. I have no doubt that the products will be relicensed as farmers apparently think the product is too good to lose!

I asked a whole series of questions at the meeting and made comments which have been taken back to DOW for a response and when these are received I will post them on my website.

I also emailed the CRD saying that I thought more publicity was required to advise ordinary gardeners of the need to be careful when obtaining manure. I suggested a memo be sent to the BBC to give information that could be passed on to all gardening 'experts' as some seem unaware of the extent of the problem and how to deal with its affects and are giving bad advice during phone-in programmes. CRD state that leaflets have been sent to garden centres but I haven't seen anything in garden centres around our area - has anyone else? People are still emailing my website having heard nothing about the problem until it has affected them and they have searched the Internet.

There was a stand at the Royal Warwick Show which focused on the aminopyralid problem as the person from the NSALG allotment exhibit had obtained a load of contaminated manure which turned his display into a good example of how things look when affected by hormonal herbicide poisoning.

Re: the spread of contamination from one plant in a pot to another. One way in which the contamination may be spread from one plant pot to another is through residue (after it has been released by decomposition) being washed out of the bottom of the contaminated pot and being soaked up by the pot free of contamination. If the plant pot share a tray then this possibility is increased.

Re: the affected seed potatoes. I emailed British Potato Trade Association who advised that I contact the company in Scotland who produced the variety of potato affected. I did and had a telephone call from them. Apparently as the plot holder didn't keep his packaging and have access to the batch number it is impossible to trace the actual grower of the seed potatoes in question. Maybe we need to make a note of batch numbers in future just in case - it is a 10 digit number. But I did get the impression that the problem with the manure wasn't something they were familiar with. They seemed to think the problem was down to the seed potato grower using glyphosphate at some stage and contaminating the tubers. However, I did show the affected potatoes to the DOW consultant and he seemed to recognise the symptoms as hormonal herbicide contamination. I suggested publicity was needed to be directed to seed potato producers. I don't honestly know how the symptoms of glyphosphate poisoning would look in comparison - maybe someone can educate me.

Please continue to email me if you are affected by this problem.

[Cider Boys]

Hello Glallotments

I'm sure that I speak for everyone on the forum when I say how much we appreciate your sterling efforts.

Thanks for the update and keep up your good works.

Best wishes

Barney

[Johnboy]

Hi Glallotments,
May I echo Barney's comments.
With regards to your last paragraph dealing with Glyphosate poisoning.
One of the good things about Glyphosate is that it neutralizes when it touches the soil. Also no Potato grower in his right mind would use Glyphosate anywhere near a growing crop. I have witnessed the misuse of Glyphosate results but have never come across a case of Glyphosate poisoning if in fact it exists.
It is good to know that Aminopyralid has got mentioned in Hansard which means when a politician claims total ignorance on the subject he/she can be politely informed that they should know.
JB.

[glallotments]

Thanks JB for the info re glyphosphate - it really supports my view that the person I spoke to wasn't familiar with the aminopyralid problem. I would have thought if the publicity from the CRD/PSD had been effective he would have known exactly what I was talking about!

I did hear, however from one of my contacts who put together the display at the Royal Show that there was a lot of interest in the contamination story and everyone he spoke to, including farmers, other landowners, smallholders and dealers in agricultural supplies, thought that the government should not automatically approve the reinstatement of products containing aminopyralid. One dealer said that his company were buying back Forefront and he personally felt very uneasy about the prospect of selling it again, but that farmers demanded it because it did a job for them.