Grow Your Own Magazine

SIGN NOW!!!!Petition to: halt the use of Aminopyralid as a weed killer in british agriculture.

Allotment holders and vegetable growers across the country have been reporting crops failing and being killed following the addition of manure to the land. Some crops, like potatoes are very badly effected whereas others are less affected.
It appears that the problem is linked to a new herbicide (a hormone weedkiller) aminopyralid being used by the farmers.
The most sensitive crops affected are:
Potatoes,
Tomatoes,
Peas,
Beans,
Carrots,
Lettuce
The list is not exclusive - these are just the plants most affected .
My understanding is that the product is licensed for use on grass land but is not licensed for use on wheat etc although anecdotal evidence suggests it is being used on cereal crops despite licensing restrictions.
You will appreciate that I am being careful what I say about a product that a large chemical company has spent more than $80 million bringing to market with a large and powerful legal department. There is an online petition to ban this product - Petition to: halt the use of Aminopyralid as a weed killer in british agriculture.
The active chemical, aminopyralid, is present in:
Banish
Forefront
Halcyon
Pharaoh
Pro-Banish
Runway
All are marketed in the UK by Dow AgroSciences Ltd
The residues are getting into the manure by two routes. Where grass land has been treated with aminopyralid containing herbicides and cattle or horses grazed on it, the chemical is excreted into manure. Dow actually state that " Aminopyralid is water soluble and is excreted in urine relatively rapidly"
The other route is direct from straw used as bedding where the crop has been treated.
The net result is that we now have to treat manure as a potential problem. Stables and many cattle farmers buy in their bedding straw and, although they may be able to state they have not used the product on their grass, they may not know that aminopyralid has been used on the bedding.
What to do if Your Crops are Affected
If you think your plants are being affected then the first call should be to the person who supplied the manure. If possible they should try to confirm whether an aminopyralid product was used on any grass, hay or silage fed to the animals which produced the manure or on the bedding. They may need to trace the original source if the grass, hay, silage or bedding straw was obtained from elsewhere.
If you are reasonably certain that aminopyralid was used, then Dow AgroSciences should be contacted for further advice at ukhotline@dow.com.
How long is the Manure / Manured Soil Contaminated
This is an incredibly potent chemical, effective in small amounts. How long it remains potent in manure is dependent on how much was there initially and other factors. Probably, and only probably, it is safe to plant in the third year after application.
If buying in manure that may be contaminated, then I would test it by mixing 50:50 with a known multi-purpose compost and trying a tomato plant or bean and seeing what happens.
If you think it is contaminated, compost for a year or three and re-try.
Are the Crops Safe to Eat?
Dow spent an awful lot of money getting approval in the USA and EU. They state that: "Aminopyralid does not bioaccumulate or build up in animal or plant tissue. " They also state "Animals high on the food chain… are not expected to acquire concentrated doses of this chemical by feeding on contaminated plants or animals"
Even non-organic gardeners like me seek to minimise our uptake of pesticide and herbicide residues in our food and we have seen products - even medicines - heralded as safe withdrawn when unexpected side effects appear as the product goes into general usage.
Please sign Now!!!!! - Petition to: halt the use of Aminopyralid as a weed killer in british agriculture.

I've signed - well for myself and the OH! - this weedkiller is really dangerous stuff and needs to be banned!!!

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

I've signed - if there's any doubt about this product it should not be allowed to become widely used like this-how are we supposed to avoid it?

some of my toms have been affected, one side of GH had 'fresh' compost this year from a well known DIY store and this is the bed that has produced deformed plants. the toms on the other side i.e. in the 'old' bed are fine.

this stuff is ingested, digested, excreted and composted yet still can have an affect on plants, don't sound that safe to me.

i've signed

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Kernow rag nevra http://www.cornishnotenglish.com/

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits
Albert Einstein

Just be ordinary and nothing special. Eat your food, move your bowels, pass water and when your'e tired go and lie down. The ignorant will laugh at me, but the wise will understand
Bruce Lee

Do you know why this weedkiller is used?
It's because of the cross-contamination of RR oil-seed rape. (GM crops) If a crop is roundup resistant then there needs to be an alternative herbicide for when they are not needed in an area.

There will be more weedkillers like these on the market as the growing of trial GM crops increase and cross-pollinate with non GM crops.

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http://www.freewebs.com/notesfromtheplot/ **updated**

"It's because of the cross-contamination of RR oil-seed rape"

Are you sure? It is a selective herbicide for grass (and is in favour because it is very effective at killing Docks and nettles etc) It is not a kill-all like Roundup.

Well that's what me farmer mate said it was.

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http://www.freewebs.com/notesfromtheplot/ **updated**

I have signed too.

I've signed too.

Anyone else gonna sign?

__________________
Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Me, I've just signed

__________________
Bren

Me too! Nearly 800 so far.

Just signed

Yep, I've signed too.

I read today:

"Dow have now indicated that they are withdrawing products which contain aminopyralid from sale and PSD is formally suspending their authorisations whilst we investigate the options for preventing a recurrence of this problem. A key issue in our consideration will be whether the conditions of use regarding manure are sufficient, or sufficiently well known."

It's a step forward Kristen But I hope the phrase "sufficiently well known" is not just a cop out.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

just sind it too
we had come delivered about 3 months ago will it be ok how do we test it can we use it next year

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Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

"how do we test it can we use it next year"

Sadly no test available.

I think best is to check the provenance: ask if the chemical has been used on any pasture at the farm, or on any fodder bought in. The instructions on the product are clear, the farmer has a duty to inform any recipient of fodder, muck, slurry, etc.

If you have bought bagged products then this is not possible, of course, as there will be numerous sources.

You could try growing some Tom seedlings in it - I believe they are very susceptible.

You would need to get it mixed thoroughly with soil to neutralise it - stacking it in a heap doesn't break it down (or if it does its in years-timeframe, not weeks or months)

And make sure nothing is growing in the soil whilst it breaks down - the chemical can re-bind to the new plant material, and that just lengthens the process.

"I hope the phrase "sufficiently well known" is not just a cop out"

Indeed. Does nothing for the issues that Pasture will have been sprayed this year (and next if farmers retain chemical). And that Fodder will be used the following Winter. And the cow sheds will be mucked out the summer following that, and stacked, and probably distributed after harvest - so towards that Winter.

Its looking like 2010 or 2011 before the problem declines ...

... I have yet to find a farmer who has even HEARD about this problem; so if their own Farmers Weekly rags, or whatever, are not getting the message across its just bang-head-against-wall for everyone else.