Up at the Big House

The Observer Yesterday.

Home-grown veg ruined by toxic fertiliser

Caroline Davies
Source: The Observer

Gardeners across Britain are reaping a bitter harvest of rotten potatoes, withered salads and deformed tomatoes after an industrial herbicide tainted their soil. Caroline Davies reports on how the food chain became contaminated and talks to the angry allotment owners whose plots have been destroyed......

The Press and Journal Today

Gardener mucks in but roots out problem
He believes herbicides are to blame as vegetable plants curl up

By Joe Watson

Published: 14/06/2008

WELL-ROTTED farmyard muck has for generations proved a product that gardeners annually hanker for to improve the fertility of their soils and boost yields.

The much sought after material can, however, have the opposite effect as award-winning gardener Bill Davidson has found out twice in the last three years.

His vegetables have shriveled up after being grown in muck that he believes has been tainted with a range of herbicides used to control grassland weeds and which remains in the waste – even after the grass has passed through cattle.

This a photograph actually used to promote the Herbicide product that contains Aminopyalid.

A good caption would be "Look Jim we have killed every god-damn thing for miles except for the straw."

A few excerpts from the product label are disturbing.

'should not be applied to residential or commercial lawns'

But it is OK to have residues in the milk and meat and wheat?

'Trees adjacent to treated areas can be affected by root uptake - do not use in the zone of desirable trees unless such injury can be tolerated'

What trees are undesirable to farmers I wonder, any that get in the way of profit and have protection order on them?

'Do not transfer animals that have grazed on treated areas to sensitive areas with broad leaved plants within 3 days - do not use plant material including Manure, Hay and Straw as compost for Broad Leaved plants if animals have grazed treated land within 3 days'

3 Days is merely the time to pass through the animal.

'Do not plant Broadleaf crops within 1 year on land treated with manure from animals that have grazed foliage or eaten Hay from previously treated areas.'

The product is still active and bound to the plant fibres in Hay.

'Not For Sale, Distribution, or Use in New York State.'

Good old New York, some one there has a brain.

According to surveys:-

Information on Pesticide residues in food from PAN UK

How frequently do residues occur on flour?
72% (52) of all samples contained measurable residues; none of these were organic.

How frequently do residues occur on potatoes?
38% (377) of all samples contained measurable residues, including 1 organic sample.

How frequently do residues occur on apples?
56% (649) of all samples contained measurable residues, including 1 organic sample.

How frequently do residues occur on green beans?
76% (54) of all samples contained measurable residues.

The contamination of Manure with Aminopyalid Hormone Weed Killer is widespread, cases like mine involving contaminated Compost are far rarer.

The following information should be read by all who suspect this type of Poisoning.
it is a Q and A document from the Frankenstein Lab that creates the Beast.

Q. Can I eat the affected crops?
A. The Pesticides Safety Directorate is an agency of the Health and Safety Executive. One of its duties is to ensure the safe use of pesticides for people and the environment. The procedure for approving pesticides for use in the UK is rigorous, each approval requiring scrutiny of extensive safety testing. All of Dow AgroSciences' herbicide products which are offered for sale in the UK are approved by the Pesticides Safety Directorate and we should be happy to provide further information about the approved use and application of our products.

Dow AgroSciences’ pasture products are not authorised for use on food crops and should not be used on such crops. If you think that any damage to your crops is potentially associated with manure or compost containing any of DowAgrosciences’ pasture products, the amount of product residue present should be very low. Based on our research studies, consumption of trace levels of such product residues in a range of crops should not cause an unacceptable risk to human health.

As a general rule, we suggest damaged produce (however this is caused) should not be consumed. Stressed crops are unlikely to produce a harvestable yield and that which can be harvested may also be affected by pest or disease damage.

While we cannot offer general advice given the range of circumstances and possible causes of crop damage, if you are concerned about damage to your crops, or that any manure used on your food crops may have contained residues from products not designed for use on food crops, in our view it would be prudent not to harvest the crop and wait till next year before replanting in the affected area.

Q. How do I deal with the affected areas to help remove the risk of plant damage for future years?
A: In our view, rotavation is by far the best practice. This incorporates plant tissue into soils where it will decompose and allow the associated chemicals to be degraded by soil microbes. Once degraded, the chemicals should pose no further risk to crops. Ideally, thoroughly rotavate, or fork over several times as soon as possible, then repeat in late summer/ early autumn. Plant tissues generally break down most rapidly in warm, moist soils.

Q. What do I do with any remaining manure?
A: If you believe that the manure or compost you are using may contain herbicide residues, it should NOT be spread on ground intended for food crops. Sensitive crops include peas, beans and other legumes, sugar beet and fodder beet, carrots potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce and a number of other food crops or edible plants.

Q: Can I replant this season?
A: We would not recommend replanting this year. The ground needs to be thoroughly rotavated and plant residues given time to break down.

Q: Why does your chemical last so long?
A: Our products work by binding strongly to plant tissues, as do other herbicides.
Once plant tissues decay, breakdown of active ingredients in soil should happen very quickly under normal conditions.

Q: How do I avoid this happening again?
A: Before accepting any farmyard manure for use in your garden or allotment, it is always important to ask the supplier for confirmation that it does not come from livestock which has grazed on fields, or been fed fodder, that has been treated with herbicides bearing restrictions on the use of subsequent manure. Any Dow AgroSciences’ product with potential to cause such an effect (e.g. those containing a substance known as aminopyralid) carry warnings on the product label and specific directions as to appropriate conditions of use. If your supplier’s livestock were fed with grass, hay or silage produced elsewhere, then you should trace back to the original grower to obtain this information.

We strongly recommend that you do not accept farmyard manure for use on your garden or allotment unless you can verify its source and your supplier can provide the confirmation outlined above.

Like everything this year in this area, a little later than last year, the Leaf Cutter Bees are back.

I am fairly sure I have my facts right here. Some individuals have been hanging around for several days. They look in the holes but mainly fly from one site to another and sit in the sun.

These are the males, short bodied with a hairy head. They are the first to hatch and are waiting near the nest sites for females.

The females arrived today longer bodied and bent on cell building. This year I got a good photograph of one carrying a large piece of leaf.

It is a case of, get into the nest hole as quickly as possible or you get set on by a male. On one occasion a female took a brief rest and during a mid air 'birds and bees' session lost her leaf section that she had worked so hard to cut and transport.

The other day we were out with friends. The girls wanted to do shop visit the guys didn't, solution we boys came back to our place in one car to put the kettle on and the girls would follow.

We had just sat down to coffee when there was a tapping at the window, "those girls were quick".
There was no one there. A rapid tapping again and we spotted him, a baby crow sitting on the window sill, maybe pecking at his reflection. I went out to take a photo he showed no fear, several times the parents swooped low 'shouting' at him. Finally they both escorted him off, he could fly well he did a 75m flight off to some trees.

Please read my previous post the information has recently been the subject of a Regulatory Update by The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) is an Agency of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

I have photographed top growth against a white background for comparison with the RHS photograph. My growth increased inter nodally at an early stage producing thin whispy growth.

For safety all these plants will have to be destroyed after I have completed my tests. This picture shows increasing distortion, typical of Hormone Weed Killer damage.

A group of plants pictured previously showing increasing damage to all growth.

A plant potted into J Arthur Bowers Peat based Compost. The top growth still shows signs of damage. However note the healthier 2nd and third leaf.

A plant potted into CompostX suspected of Aminopyralid contamination. Note the weak distorted growth from leaf 2 onwards.

So I am not alone with my Tomato destruction.

According to the RHS, manure contaminated with Aminopyralid a hormone weed killer active in the following products - Banish, Forefront, Halcyon, Pharaoh, Pro-Banish, or Runway has been causing widespread problems this year.

This picture from the RHS shows typical symptoms.

Once again the Big Chemical companies have come together with Irresponsible Farmers to create a problem that should never exist.

The Farmers treat the Grazing Pasture with the product, Animals are allowed back to graze within 7 days. The Poison binds to the Lignin in Grass, some passes through the animal and into the manure. From there it it is re released as the Lignin breaks down, it can remain active for up to 2 years.
How much passes into the milk and meat products? Do they care?

Apparently there is no evidence that crops from contaminated plants are safe to eat.

It should be noted that labels and technical literature of aminopralid-based products do carry warnings and advice on manure management and avoiding risk to sensitive crops.
By the time the Farmer gets to the manure management stage he obviously disregards all the literature.

Why should pasture be totally herb free and a chemical war zone. Do not animals benefit from a balanced diet and beneficial herbs?

There is talk from some, no doubt considered as cranks by the Chemical Money Men of re-introducing weeds into Pasture Land. It is thought that resistance to TB which is on the increase among livestock would be improved.
It is noted that Tuberculosis in Humans increases with poor diet, it seems sensible to me.

Peat Bogs take many years to form and at the present rate of use they are being depleted. I therefore can understand the need to try and produce alternatives to Peat Based Compost. Many substitutes are being trialled. I am happy to use a good Peat Free Compost. Some even seem to have better re wetting properties that Peat Based ones.

Producers have to be very careful on the selection of material. Even regarding my own Compost Heap I am very careful about adding any weed treated grass cuttings. Every year a trained idiot from the idiot Local Council comes and sprays a very concentrated Non Selective Weed Killer along the edge of the grass verge where it joins the foot path and all around the lamp post which has its base in the verge. This results in an immediate death area of 100mm around the spray region followed by active growth of tall and creeping weeds weeds NO GRASS. For some time after the treatment I avoid the grass cuttings from the verge. If the Council comes to cut the grass they do not pick up the cuttings but distribute them across the road and footpath. After a time when the weeds are growing strongly I resume the verge cutting, getting in before the Council, the cuttings are then allowed on my Compost Heap.

What was that about Tomatoes? Well, it all started with a lady ordering some Compost from the Milkman, yes Milkman. She didn't realise what two 40L packs of Compost looked like and had no room for them in her flat, thus I was called in to take a 40l Pack off her hands.
This Peat free compost was the one that my Tomatoes were sown in. Germination was fine the plants a little leggy, from a late sowing too, strange that.

As growth proceeded they were transplanted into the same material. Shortly after a problem started to show both in transplanted and those not yet done.

I have blogged previously about the Local Ex Military Man and his Weapons of Mass Weed Destruction. He reported thin curled tops on his Tomatoes last year. I know he terrorises every weed in his grass and wouldn't mind betting he keeps his missiles in his greenhouse thus inviting such trouble.

I have no such weapons around yet those plants are showing classic symptoms.
I conducted a test. Three were plants transplanted into a) Wickes Compost b) J.A.Bowers Compost c) Compost X. I am not naming Compost X, the suspect, as I am in communication with them and they are acting very responsibly. Should they have acted differently this blog entry title would have been 'Compost X Poisoned my Tomatoes'.

The results so far are proving my suspicions to be correct, a) and b) are showing signs of improvement, c) in Compost X are looking decidedly sick. That is how I am feeling too, someone in the supply chain has failed in their duty of care. I have spent years avoiding the vile man made poisons in Weed Killers and Insecticides and have purchased Compost tainted with the stuff.

I have a further test going on. Three separate sowings of Tomatoes in the three different composts, I want to independently expose the culprit.

The only other sowing I made in Compost X was Sweet Corn, this is fine, further indication that the culprit is a Selective Herbicide.

The first of June was cool and wet with more wet weather following on.

Traditionally my planting out day if the moon is right, and it was well on the right side this year. I am late with my plants and it is too cool to plant out or sow things like Spinach which require a warm soil, (what's that this year?).
Nature has its way of catching up and the plants are speeding along under glass, when the rain stops and the sun finally appears again we will have ideal growing conditions.

The cool day on the 1st June did not stop the Birds, before we were up our Great Tits had fledged, Baby Starlings were everywhere waiting for food. It was definitely Fledging day.

I don't know how many baby Great Tits were raised the noise when the parents arrived with food suggested a good few. We actually had 2 youngsters dead in the nest pushed to the side and trodden underfoot by the stronger chicks no doubt.

Also 2 un-hatched eggs. This gave me a good photo opportunity with no chance of stress or disturbance for the parents.

I saw the parents a couple of times in the morning, calling and going off to feed young but our offspring themselves were never seen. May be they will return next year to breed.