Comments on: Aminopyralid Herbicide Residue in Manure Killing Crops

By: Vanessa Garstin

Vanessa Garstin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:01:51 +0000

So … Looking to the future … has anyone been given a sensible course of action to take in order to combat this devastation???

What are you doing with your plots ?????????

So far this year only ‘pockets’ of this has appeared on my plot. Spuds looked like photo above, runners just didn’t! and turned yellow and spotty, the beans such as they are all curly like the leaves! I have not yet dug the spuds.

Having had an immense amount of rain the bean growth has improved and returned to more like normality !?!? What is interesting is I have 4 varieties growing and White Lady has weathered the ’storm’ better than ther rest! This indicates some varieties might be more immune than others ?????

Re the ‘pockets’ … the farmer where I purchased my manure has horses at livery … he does not supply hay and has no idea where his clients buy theirs. That is why infection seems to be very spasmodic in my supply.

It would seem a waste of time to try to track things backwards. It is clearly out of control. Better to raise awareness in every direction …

…. and to plan how to cope with it once infected!

By: Alan Weymouth

Alan Weymouth — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:28:42 +0000

Dear Gbar, regarding your comment that this darned weedkiller is not a potential danger through milk, meat etc. One of the posts on this site drew attention to the fact that earthworms were dying in contaminated soil.
Maybe the theory that it is harmless to higher life is more than a bit suspect. Alan.

By: Gbar

Gbar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:58:20 +0000

John

The chemical is not passing through in the urine. It is passing through in the faeces. It does not pass through the gut wall and therefore technically it does not get into the animal’s body. There is no way it gets into meat or milk!

By: John

John — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:52:54 +0000

I wish I could share your confidence, Gbar. The fact this substance is passing through the animal’s urine worries me and it takes a good six months in ideal conditions to break down in the soil. In a manure pile it can remain for years.

I think it’s an absolute disgrace that DEFRA are intending to re-licence what most growers would consider a disaster.

By: Gbar

Gbar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:41:51 +0000

Jean I know this is distressing.

But there is no need to be worried about the “thought of chemicals in our milk, butter, cheese, beef and the watercourse”

one of the reason why this chemical is causing a problem is that it is not ingested by cattle. The chemical binds strongly to the cellulose within the grass and this is not broken down in the gut, it therefore is not absorbed through the gut wall and does not get into milk or meat.

In the soil the chemical breaks down relatively quickly and is not a threat it to watercourses.

By: CG

CG — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:59:10 +0000

I have only become aware of this problem quite recently. Nevertheless, it has destroyed several crops and currently half my veg garden is unusable. These are my first wholesale failures in more than 32 years of vegetable growing – and nearer 50 years if you take into account my childhood experiments with gardening. My test with tomato plants convince me that my manure is indeed contaminated with this filthy stuff.

My email to Dow met with no response – which is why I have now involved my MP who, amongst other things, is about to write to their MD. Clearly Dow think they are above dealing with such problems, or even acknowledging them.

I urge everyone to email their MP with a request for similar action to be taken.

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:49:40 +0000

I dug some farmyard manure in to a little bit of my veg garden in early spring and then planted potatoes which were badly affected. Very glad I hadnt used any more on the rest of the plot. I am in Northern Ireland and had not heard of it here. Like everyone else its not even the loss of the bed of spuds that worries me ,it’s the thought of chemicals in our milk, butter, cheese, beef and the watercourse.

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:03:52 +0000

Wish I’d seen this all last year. I live in Ireland and have just discovered what’s wrong with my tomato plants and cucumbers and broad beans and spuds. Put loads of work earlier in the year into carrying boot-loads of manure and spreading them around. Really glad I didn’t have a trailer…

By: D R LEDGER

D R LEDGER — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:08:14 +0000

Using the that great principal that if there is one shred of doubt about AMINOPYRALID, or associaled chemicals,…… the substances should be immediately banned.

Perhaps someone would like to send a copy of “Silent Spring” to the prime minister wiht a note that Aminopyralid could well be the next DDT !

Dow Chemicals must be punatively fined and long prison sentances imposed upon its board of directors for allowing the poisioning of our planet.

When will we learn that history repeats itself?

Would one bag of contaminated hay for my daughters pet rabbit be enough to contaminate my garden compost heap?

D R LEDGER B SC (Hons) Environmental Science

By: Jane Lord

Jane Lord — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:37:18 +0000

I checked out the factsheet from Dow and was impressed by the large amount of data presented. However we are being blinded by science; there is little or no evidence of aminopyralid having ill effects on humans,[ note; no studies have been carried out..] and the toxicity is reduced in rats etc by using very low concentrations.
BUT NO EVIDENCE OF EFFECT IS NOT EQUIVALENT TO EVIDENCE OF NO EFFECT!! This is an old adage from my student days taking statistics for psychologists. It should be burned into the foreheads of all of these chemical barons.

By: Green Lane

Green Lane — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 10:36:13 +0000

Do you have reasons to suspect the manure is contaminated? Can the supplier give you anyinformation. Feeding water through it won’t help I’m afraid. Not sure what burning would do.

Can you afford to test it out on a small patch of land using a sacrificial crop? Maybe a bit late to do this year.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:46:02 +0000

hi.
Fed up with overpackaged,overpriced organic vegetables flown in from around the world, I decided to grow my own. I took on an allottment in Louth, Lincolnshire this year. Unfortunatle, the aminopyralid must have been present in the compost heap I inhereted from the last owner which I duly dug into the soil. I threw away the (perfect looking)potato crops whose foilage had been affected. However, after reading assurances that other crops would be safe to eat, we did so for a couple of months.There was always at the back of my mind small alarm bells ringing,and when I heard recently that aminopyralid has been banned, the alarm bells turned up full volume. I have thrown sackfulls of perfectly healthy looking crops, potatoes,carrotts,cabages,parsnips,broadbeans,borlotti beans leeks,broccoli,sprouts and many more into landfill yesterday.I have lost all confidence in the soil at the allottment and am worried about the long term affect on the health of me,my husband family and friends who have come over here to share the fruits of my labour. I have gone back to the overpriced,overpackaged organic produce flown in from halfway round the planet. Wont touch frech locally grown veg with a bargepole as I can imagine that it could be similarly affected.

I will keep digging and turning over the soil and hope that the crops will be o.k next year.But the suspicion will always lurk at the back of my mind that the contamination will still be around. Takes the shine off it dont you think?

By: Jim Barr

Jim Barr — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:43:46 +0000

Stables deliver free to our allotment site and I have been stacking it pending spreading.
Should I burn it or constantly feed water through it?

By: Peter Ainsworth

Peter Ainsworth — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:55:20 +0000

If you are not yet aware, the Pesticides Safety Directorate has suspended from sale, supply and use all products containing aminopyralid, with immediate effect.
We must all now press for the total banning of the product.

By: wendy

wendy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:41:34 +0000

To check for contamination, you can get compost / soil samples tested at Mountainheath Laboratories Ltd (Herts)
http://www.mountainheath.com

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:33:34 +0000

It seems that farmers are saying they did not know about the effect of these products particularly that it would be in the manure. The farmers leaflets, which can be viewed on the Dow Agro-sciences web site,details below, clearly states that if hay, silage, slurry or manure are exported from their farm, they should warn the receipent. It also states that they should not grow potatoes,sugar beet, vegetables, beans or other leguminous crops in the next calandar year following an application of ForeFront.It clearly states not to use manure from animals feed on grass treated with ForeFront on susceptable crops, these are mainly the ones people grow on allotments. There have been reports in the Farming Journals last year about crops damaged by planting in fields where slurry had been spread on it before planting. If farmers are using chemicals on there land, they should know the consequence of their actions. To claim that they did not know about the effects of this product is negligent not only for their business but for any product they sell. Almost all farmers charge for the manure so the product is not fit for the purpose and can do damage. Even if the problem has come through horses fed on hay treated with this herbicide, the supplier of the hay is negligent in not telling the purchaser of the hay as he would know of the consequences of the use of stable manure. Also the supplier of straw where the cereal crop had been treated with one of these herbicides is also negligent in not passing on the information. Am I cynical in believing that the farmers knew about this and could not care about the consequences of selling this manure to unsuspecting allotment holders?
http://www.dowagro.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_010e/0901b8038010e4d1.pdf?filepath=/uk/pdfs/noreg/011-01520.pdf&fromPage=GetDoc

By: John

John — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:00:38 +0000

Michael – DEFRA were contacted by a number of affected people before the Groaniad article and if you look at the date on this article you will note it is 29th June.

Before publishing I undertook research – if only to protect me from legal action by DOW. There was a lot of info out there.

I believe DEFRA have shown an astonishing level of complacent incompetence over this.

Wendy – pesticide resistant bugs, aphids in particular, are common. A GM fear is that the resistance to herbicides which is built in to the crop plants will cross in some way to weeds.

Maybe not likely but would you trust DEFRA or scientists employed by the GM breeders to produce an independent, objective and accurate report? I don’t.

By: Wendy Perry

Wendy Perry — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:45:21 +0000

Frome, BA11.
In my first season as the part owner of a small plot, and eagerly looking forward to eating the fruits (and Veg) of my labour, I cannot bring myself to do, so despite certain reassurances. I am reminded of the over-use of antibiotics and the emergence of the ’superbug’, will the overuse of herbicides and pesticides have a similar effect on the plant world?

By: Michael Tyler

Michael Tyler — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:33:57 +0000

I sent an e-mail to my MP Mr Christopher Fraser concerning matters I thought should be put to DEFRA and he has replied to say he will put them to them. Also while looking at Hansard Mr, Paul Burstow MP for Sutton & Cheam submitted written questions to the Secretary of State for DEFRA concerning Aminopyralid on the 8th July and was replied to by Mr Woolas for DEFRA on 9th July, see Mr Burstow’s web site.I have also found on the New York State Department of Enviromental Conservation Web site that Dow Chemicals withdrew the product registration for 3 Herbicides containing Aminopyralid on February 7th 2007. It their behalf also appears that some of the national potatoe crop for 2007 in this country was also damaged by Aminopyralid contamination therefore DEFRA must have been aware of this and yet it took an article in the Guardian on 29th June 2008 before it became into the public domain.I urge everybody to contact there own MP’s to question DEFRA

By: Jean Rogers

Jean Rogers — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:39:03 +0000

Barrsbrook Allotments have been affected too by contaminated manure.

How can we ensure that the ground is free of any trace so that we can continued to grow and eat our produce safely.

Our allotment site is only 4 or 5 years old. We are bitterly disappointed.

By: Anthony Powell

Anthony Powell — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:47:35 +0000

Then there’s Tordon, the trade name for picloram; and Clopyralid. According to wikipedia, picloram is the most persistent of its family or systemic herbicides, and was used in the Vietnam war. Tordon is one of 4 chemical treatments suggested by the Environment Agency to deal with Japanese Knotweed. It’s also listed, with 25 others, in English Nature’s Herbicide Handbook.

By: Howard Drury DHE (Hons)

Howard Drury DHE (Hons) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:01:06 +0000

We should also look at the issue of compensation, legally a sale of any product is with the person whom you made the purchase ie usually a shop keeper or on line store, here our contract is with the manure supplier, they have legal responsabilities alsthough they may not like it or may not be insssured against problems, the buck stops with them, although they would, like in retailing pass the blame up the chain to the originator ie DOW if they are found to be at fault.

Howard Drury

By: Howard Drury DHE (Hons)

Howard Drury DHE (Hons) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:55:44 +0000

It is incomprehensible that both the British government (DETHRA) and the the EU allow this situation to continue. While there must be careful checks to ensure that Dow is to blame from the samples I have investigated the damage is consistent with typical hormone weed killer application. It must not be confused with environmental issues such as eather and poor growing. I would expect all suseptable crops on a manured plot to show symptoms and anyone wanting to test could simply some lettuce tomatoes or beans in a controlled random trial using susceptable soil and a potting compost alongside soil from none manures sites. If and only them must we wend photographic evidence to MPs Euro MPs and to each and every newspaper demanding an instant withdrawal of this product. Without seeing the data for safety how can we be assured that this group of compounds has not got into the food chain via milk from cattle feeding on treated land and that it is not in the meat chain. Please lobby all olitcal parties as I know we have to play their games to get the momentum moving to get something done urgently. As a member of the gardening press I will be asking various press officers to get moving please lobby any and everyone for our healths sake.

Howard Drury (DHE (hons) and 24 years as a media presenter

By: John

John — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:54:35 +0000

Green Lane & Barbara: I list those brand names in the post above anyway

Laura: I’m not sure if FOE are aware or not. Perhaps you could let us know?

By: laura

laura — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:57:38 +0000

Do Friends of the Earth know about his they are the ones who take on the big corporations on our behalf. Meanwhile thanks John for highlighting the problem seems the ones in persuit of profit won’t be happy till we’re all dead from chemical poisining

By: Green Lane

Green Lane — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:42:31 +0000

Barbara:

Sorry I have only just read through the comments and you may know this by now.

Brand names are
Banish, Forefront, Halcyon, Pharaoh, Pro-Banish, and Runway.

By: Green Lane

Green Lane — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:38:57 +0000

Jean,

The RHS say that contamination of mushroom compost cannot be ruled out.

For additional information and more victims see our web page
http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Contaminated_Manure.ikml

Also the PSD issued an update yesterday saying they now advise that it is safe to eat veg growing on the contaminated land.
See
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=2480

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:34:41 +0000

Does any one know of an alternative product for the farmer’s to use which does not have this effect?

By: Michael Tyler

Michael Tyler — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:32:33 +0000

As yet no contamination on Thetford Allotments but our supplier gets his manure from different sources so from now on we are advising our members that future supplies could be at risk. Also have e-mailed my MP about this problem and advised him to go onto your web site for any information.

By: martin ranson

martin ranson — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:47:34 +0000

Thanks to this forum I have finally found out why my potatos, tomatoes and broad beans look like they do.
We had a load of cow manure last autumn, and I now need to get in touch with the other members of the cooperative to alert them.
Scarily, we have feasted on Rhubarb mulched with it since march, and have been eating the potatoes for a month now !
Everything looks ok shape wise, i have read about abnormal shapes etc.
I think the tomatoes will go in the bin as these are mostly water, so could potentially have the biggest concentration.

Panic, Panic, Panic !! and bye bye organic allotment.