Contaminated Manure

[AnneThomas]

Hi glallotments

I see what you mean. And I guess by the nature of DOW's test of mixing manure with compost indicates there shouldn't be any contamination of the manure.

I admit I haven't had distorted growth - although I have had great difficulty in getting bean seeds to germinate in the compost I have used. And having sent all this information round to friends and colleagues they seem to be telling me of similar experiences of poor growth this year.

I'm going to sow some seeds in an area of cleared ground and see if they do any better than any of those I have just sown.

Long-term I might have to start making my own compost.

Anne

[glallotments]

If anyone has a pile of contaminated manure that they can't get rid of - contact Dow on the Manure Matters website http://www.manurematters.co.uk/home.htm The contact email is at the bottom of the sidebar on the right.

They are arranging to collect and dispose of any manure thought to be contaminated by aminopyralid

[realfood]

Dow AgroSciences bio-assay test for manure contaminated with Aminopyralid
The proposed test is similar to the tests already proposed by gardeners to detect the presence of aminopyralid contaminated manure. From our experience this year, this test while better than nothing, is not sensitive enough to detect lower levels of contamination. Where a lower level of contamination by aminopyralid is present, sensitive plants(potatoes) may not show the typical fern or cupped leaves, but on harvesting the crop, yield is found to be some 50% lower than expected. Lower levels of aminopyralid contamination quite clearly adversely affect the yield of sensitive crops.
Eventually, I spotted an admission on the Dow "manumatters" site that their proposed test did not pick up lower levels of aminopyralid contamination. In such cases, they suggest that gardeners who have suspicions of aminopyralid contamination should pay £200 for laboratory tests!! I think that Dow should pay for this test as they have caused the problem in the first place, but I do not hold up much hope that they will!!!

[glallotments]

Hi RF,
I agree totally.

The other problem is that it is almost impossible to use such as test to prove manure is contaminant free.

From our experiences the contamination can occur in pockets especially if a user has spot weeded or obtained haylage/silage from differing suppliers. You could test one sample but that could be taken from an uncontaminated patch of manure when other parts of the pile are actually contaminated. Also the manure only has an adverse effect once the residue is released so the timing of the test could be out of kilter with the rate of decomposition.

There are just far too many variables. Also I remember a quote which I think came from the PSD (as was) saying that even the more complex lab test couldn't detect very low levels of the residue and that these levels could affect certain plant growth.

I have emailed DOW to say that the advice on their MM website to Manure and compost suppliers to carry out the bean test to determine whether the manure that they have is safe to pass on is totally unreliable.

I certainly wouldn't trust the results of the bean test. Must admit calling it a bio-assay test makes it sound more scientific doesn't it.

[bigshod]

Steve Higginbotham of Dow's Manure Matters webpages visited our allotment site a fortnight ago to see the impact contaminated manure had had on us. We had a long discussion and he took away questions which he is to reply to. I had further thoughts in the week following and I have sent him some supplementaries which might be of interest to those in this thread.

* Legal action will be taken against anyone supplying manure contaminated with aminopyralid if the product is reinstated. Will that rule include manure which was produced before last year's product withdrawal?

* Would it be reasonable to ask that the stewardship proposals be published for comment by interested parties before the herbicide gains reinstatement since you gave the impression at our meeting that they could still be changed?

* There is still a lot of aminopyralid based herbicide out there in the hands of people whom Dow will bar from access to it under the new proposals. While they still have it, it poses a risk to us all. What measures are to be taken to recall this residue or render it unusable?

* I would propose that contaminated manure is marked in some obvious way to prevent inadvertent use. My suggestion would be recycled blue plastic (the sort that barrels are made of) reduced to a powder. It is highly visible and inert.

* There will be problems with arranging removal of contaminated manure from an allotment site if, as Dan Norris MP (Rural Affairs and Environment Minister) says in a letter to an allotment holder, testing has to take place before it can be taken. In view of what you saw on my site, shouldn't removal be treated as a matter of greater urgency than that if the manure in question has already been seen to cause damage? (No allotment tenant will try to con you into taking his supply of uncontaminated manure!)

[realfood]

I contacted my MP seeking her help in trying to prevent the re-licensing of aminopyralid. She has now forwarded a reply from Dan Norris MP, Rural Affairs and Environmental Minister.

From his reply, I think it is likely that aminopyralid will be relicensed, though with some conditions, which I have summarized.

Proposed restrictions contained in the product stewardship programme.
For livestock that have eaten grass treated with aminopyralid, the manure produced should not leave the farm on which the manure was produced.

A more problematic restriction to enforce, concerns hay or silage made from grass treated with aminopyralid. The Minister states that such hay or silage will not be allowed to be moved from the farm on which it was produced. This means to me that such hay or silage should not be sold-on to stables or other farmers.

I suspect that this condition will be difficult to enforce due to the financial implications for farmers and other vested interests.
This is the route of aminopyralid manure contamination for allotments and gardeners, that was involved in most of the cases reported on gardening forums.

As the Minister's statement above is at variance to the information presently contained on the Dow "manurematters" site, I have asked if the Minister can confirm that my understanding of his proposals, is correct.

There is also a statement that the Chemicals Regulation Directorate has published a leaflet on contaminated manure for garden centres and gardening organisations. Has anyone seen one of these leaflets in garden centres??

[glallotments]

Hi RealFood,
Dan Norris is just really quoting from DOWs proposals re: the revised stewardship but as you say it will be difficult to monitor and enforce. I have had similar letters from him.

I may have mentioned before that we can use the analogy having to undergo training to pass a driving test and the way people drive after passing. It may be illegal to do certain things but if those illegalities are not enforced then the laws are useless. We all see drivers regularly using mobile phones but it is illegal isn't it? Toothless tigers - which is why John started the epetition because we can't see how the revised stewardship will be able to overcome the problems associated with use of this chemical.

The CRD sent me a whole pack of the postcards that you refer to and told me that they had been sent out to garden centres but that they couldn't insist that garden centres used them - a bit of a cop out really.

They are available for downloading from http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=2541&link=%2Fuploadedfiles%2FWeb%5FAssets%2FPSD%2FManure%5FPostcard%2Epdf

I did ask on my blog a while ago if anyone had seen them in any garden centres and didn't get any responses - I certainly haven't.

I gave my batch out and I know some other people who sent for some and distributed them but that's all. I was sent some because I had nagged at them to produce something, I suggested posters and leaflets for garden centres and so I was automatically on their mailing list.

[davew]

just a bit of an update, i've heard back from Steve Higginbotham from manure matters and they are going to take away my pile of manure, has anyone else had there manure taken away ?

[silverbirch]

What an interesting read, I've been using farmyard manure for longer than I can remember but have never been aware of possible chemical contamination as described in this thread. Never had a problem myself and wouldnt ask the farmer about this issue because he lets me have it for free.

[Tel]

You are very fortunate silverbirch!

[glallotments]

Even free contamination is bad - silverbirch - it kills your plants just the same.

Think of the farmer who supplies you - he needs to know the potential risk of the manure that he supplies being contaminated as there are possible repercussions for him if he inadvertently supplies manure that kills plants.

Many farmers and stable owners are also very concerned especially ones who had been unaware of the problem and the need to take care when buying silage etc.

If anyone hasn't yet signed the petition, think of doing so before the October deadline

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/aminopyralidban/

[silverbirch]

No Gallotments, he doesnt supply me whatsoever and doesnt charge me a penny, I just collect as much I need whenever I want, and certainly over twenty years gardening my plants have only benefited from the addition of this source of manure.

But agreed if I purchased any product that killed my plants then I certainly wouldnt be very happy about it.

.

[silverbirch]

You are very fortunate silverbirch!

I know mate, but I do collect and dig it out myself.

Twenty years ago I asked for a favour, drop some manure off for me mate, then on a Sunday evening this tractor pulled up and dumped five tonne on my drive, I can tell you that took me a while to shift! Ever since I just collect a few buckets at a time !

[Tel]

I understand your position silverbirch,
I am also blessed with a HUGE supply of pre '06 manure.
You will be OK as I, but I was hit with a contaminated delivery 2 yrs. ago & I sorted the problem W/O many subsequent problems.
We still have to be aware of 'DOW' & their need to satisfy the share holders
for profit returns!

[glallotments]

Re using the broad bean test.
I asked DOW about the reliability of this test and have had the following response. (NB: the reference to manure suppliers is due to the fact that I asked the question in relation to advice to manure suppliers on the Manure Matters website http://www.manurematters.co.uk/manure_sourcing.htm

Manure Test

This manure test has been put in place as a simple procedure for manure suppliers to check whether residues of aminopyralid might be present in their stocks of manure. A positive result would obviously indicate that the manure should not, under any circumstances, be supplied to gardeners or allotment-holders. A negative result does not guarantee the suitability of the tested batch of manure for use in gardens or allotments, but could be used as additional information when trying to establish the provenance of that manure.

Questions about the source of the manure, and forage within the manure, should always be asked in conjunction with carrying out the test. The test alone should not be relied upon to guarantee the provenance of manure supplies. Gardeners and allotment-holders must always satisfy themselves, as much as possible, as to the suitability of the manure they are planning to use.