Contaminated Manure

[glallotments]

Anyone interested I have a web page devoted to email conversations with PSD
http://glallotments.co.uk/Manure8.aspx

[Beryl]

Anyone interested there is a petition that can be signed to ban the product.

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

Beryl.

[glallotments]

The PSD have issued a new update

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=2529

[Johnboy]

Hi Glallotments,
I just wonder what the results would have been had the PSD got their arses in gear instead of sitting on their hands not knowing what to do!
To my way of interpreting that latest bulletin
Aminopyralid will be relicenced in the not too distant future and that makes me exceedingly uneasy.
Somehow in a final push it must be made abundantly clear to the government that we the gardeners of this country feel that an investigation should be carried out as to the effectiveness of the PSD.
To my thinking they are a useless lot of Wozocks and do not have the facilities to carry out the job they were set up to do. Like all government departments they will claim that they do not get the funding and always plead lack of resources.
Somehow we must fight on but how!
JB.

[glallotments]

Hi Johnboy

That was my interpretation too!

Drawing a blank as far as interest from the media goes - it seems a case of old news!! I have a guy from ringing me on Monday as they want to pop something on their website.

Maybe we need a friendly farmer with a tractor and a load of contaminated manure to dump his load in Downing Street!! http://living.morethan.com/?s=organic

[glallotments]

Just so you know that I haven't given up on trying to raise awareness of this. Gardeners will be buying supplies of manure for next season soon and so it is still important to get the message out!
Apparently GQT had a slot on the problem last weekend and gave it quite an airing.
http://living.morethan.com/2008/09/29/contaminated-manure-the-bad-smell-lingers/ have also written a feature. The Sunday Times should have an article this Sunday and the Daily Mail on Monday.
I had a response from Phil Woolas re some question posed and I have included his comments on http://glallotments.co.uk/Manure8.aspxat the bottom of the page.

Another plea - if you know of anyone who is considering buying manure please make sure they are aware of the need to be very cautious.

[Geoff]

That really doesn't make you feel we have a strong regulatory structure - I am not anti-chemical but that response could make me.

[glallotments]

Daily Mail featured a full page article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/gardeni ... dying.html
Nothing new just really hoping to alert gardeners to the need to take care when buying maure.
I also had an email from DOW yesterday asking several questions about our specific problem. They are collating information to try and put into place strategies to prevent a reoccurence.

To be honest I think it would be more beneficial to get a good strategy in place rather than just ban a specific chemical. Banning would just leave the way clear for another chemical to be produced which could have the same effect - whereas developing an effective strategy would hopefully impact on new chemicals too.

[Chantal]

I've just received this, for what it's worth:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17354/

[JOHNBISHOP]

Well done Glallotments, just read the governments feedback from the petition,
still feel the need to keep checking!!!
Thanks to all your hard work look like a move in the right direction.

[Cider Boys]

Hello Glallotments

Although I have not contributed to your Topic I am following it with great interest and do appreciate you efforts with this problem; an excellent website too.

Please keep up the good works.

Best Wishes

Barney

[glallotments]

Thanks Barney,

Glad that you like the website.
Running out of options a bit now but we are due to have a visit from one of our MEPs who has been working on a new EU directive re: use of chemicals.

This was already in the offing but our problems seem to fit in with the timing of this and consequently we have had the BBC filming again but this time just for a regional item.

I have another letter oustanding that I sent to the PSD. From the tone of their last reply I think they are sick of my "ah buts ...." All the information from correspondence that I receive from them is posted on our website http://glallotments.co.uk/Manure8.aspx for anyone interested and hasn't read this yet.

If anyone out there has a blog or forum or website please add an item to warn gardeners to take care when buying manure - we are still given expert advice to apply manure without any warning of precautions to take.

Feel free to link to my posting on our blog http://glallotments.blogspot.com/2008/1 ... anure.html

We have had lots of accidental hits where people have been Googling for free manure suppliers and have ended up reading the information for the first time. Some who have had problems which match our experiences and hadn't realised that it could be the manure causing the problem.

[glallotments]

In the January issue of KG mag. Edwin Oxlade has written an article on this problem on page 101.

Dow are also taking out ads in gardening mags to publicise the problem. It was in the last issue of Gardeners' World mag but unfortunately appeared an issue too early as the website isn't up and running yet. The link is http://www.dowagro.com/uk/manurematters.htm

[glallotments]

The DOW website Manure Matters is now up and running
http://www.dowagro.com/uk/mark-up/index.htm

[oldherbaceous]

May i just say how pleased i am to see that glallotments has got some excellent recognition, on page 43 of the March issue of our Kitchen Garden Magazine.

This certainly is justified for all the hard and excellent work glallotments has carried out on this problem.

Thanyou glallotments.