Author Topic: www.manurematters.co.uk (Read 16716 times)

ceres · « **Reply #20 on:** January 11, 2009, 11:36:04 »

That's a really good question, I don't recall seeing anything about earthworms so far. I've got the toxicology testing stuff that Dow published, so I'll dig it out and have a look.

If your manure dates from before 2006 it should be safe from aminopyralid because it wasn't on the market prior to 2006.

However, just because the manure is wood-chip or sawdust based DOESN'T mean it's safe. It's what the animals ate that matters, not what they were bedded on.

ceres · « **Reply #21 on:** January 11, 2009, 18:14:24 »

Found it:

Aminopyralid is 'practically non-toxic' to earthworms. 'Practically non-toxic' is the US Environmental Protection Agency's least toxic category.

mrf94 · « **Reply #22 on:** January 11, 2009, 19:04:14 »

Thanks

As i said twas just a thought, and there rare as you get to my age.

mrf94

70fingers · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2009, 20:08:28 »

Time will tell I guess....its only been on the market for a couple of years or so, so the coming years will be the "true" litmus test on all our allotments.

I wanted to use manure for the first time this year, i definately wont now until we know for sure that its ok to use.

Just remind me how we all coped in the old days before "chemical companies"???

ceres · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2009, 20:31:36 »

Quote from: 70fingers on January 30, 2009, 20:08:28

Time will tell I guess....its only been on the market for a couple of years or so, so the coming years will be the "true" litmus test on all our allotments.

Time has told and some (rather a lot of us) have already had our allotments used a a 'litmus test' and suffered the consequences. You might want to try doing a search on the forum for 'aminopyralid' and then google it.

sunloving · « **Reply #25 on:** January 30, 2009, 22:06:11 »

I just sent them this
becuase im so angry at their site

Im writing to complain about the incorrect information have presented on this website
This year a large number of allotment holders and gardeners have had their soils made toxic and uncultivatable becuase of aminopyyraloid contamination.
A very large number proportion of us have been badly affected and your suggestion that this is a few gardeners and a few crops is false.
To say that veg grown on contaminated land are safe is a mis nomer becuase veg dont grow to harvest on aminopyraloid contaminated land, my father has been a dalia and tomatoe breeder and grower for fourty years. use of contaminated manure has lead to him losing more than 70 varieties most of which he has cultivated himslef this is serious and permenant damage.
my beds at home were also contaminated and 90% of all crops i used to grow were distorted and killed by the contamination.
I am one of many hundreds on allotments 4 all who have documented our problems with the pollution of organic sites with your chemicals and the unfettered spread of this which is still occuring due to the use of last years manure

It is about time you actually faced up to the scale of this issue, as it is and i refer to our recent posts on allotmets for all. we dont trust you, you missrepresent us you have damaged our plots and gardens and plant heritage for a significant number of years and you have possibly broken a thousand year chain of using manure to grow crops in an organic way.

it is just insult to injury for you now to be trying to gloss over the utter disaster of last year and I for one will not rest until you take responsibilty for the damage you have caused to a nation of gardeners.
Shame on you, you contiune to tarnish the reputation of agrisciences companies and fail to comprehend the deep love of our soils and horticultural heritage we have in the UK.

Disgusted and looking at bare soil where there should be fresh strong shoots becuase of your greed and lack of proper consideration.
Dr Kathryn Turner

fuming but sunloving x

70fingers · « **Reply #26 on:** January 30, 2009, 22:22:25 »

they have only registered .co.uk domain name - some bright spark may register the .com domain name and put the real truth behind the damage it is doing to allotment holders in the uk!!!!

Just a thought...... ;D

ceres · « **Reply #27 on:** January 30, 2009, 22:47:38 »

That's a great letter sunloving. Do let us know if they reply. I remember reading at the time about the loss of your dad's dahlia collection. It's bad enough losing veg but a lifetime's work must be heartbreaking. :'(

kt. · « **Reply #28 on:** January 30, 2009, 23:05:43 »

I have just taken delivery of manure that is 3 years old. I will not use it until next year as I have sufficient to last this growing season. By then all the aminopyralid should of dissolved into thin air.

asbean · « **Reply #29 on:** January 30, 2009, 23:09:27 »

You'll need to keep turning it - it doesn't dissolve, it gets broken down by the bacteria in the soil, poor wormies.

ceres · « **Reply #30 on:** January 31, 2009, 00:09:31 »

Quote from: ktlawson on January 30, 2009, 23:05:43

I have just taken delivery of manure that is 3 years old. I will not use it until next year as I have sufficient to last this growing season. By then all the aminopyralid should of dissolved into thin air.

kt
asbean is spot on. The aminopyraild isn't released from the plant material until the plant material has completely rotted away THEN it needs to be exposed to soil-based organisms to convert it into harmless compounds. If the manure sits in a stack with no exposure to the soil, the plant material will eventually rot away but the aminopyralid will be held in the stack and the effect is to concentrate the weedkiller. This is why the advice from the RHS, Dow etc is not to stack it.

Eristic · « **Reply #31 on:** February 02, 2009, 22:01:25 »

Quote

some bright spark may register the .com domain name and put the real truth behind the damage it is doing to allotment holders in the uk!!!!

Just a thought...... Grin

Send £25 and its yours. ;D

asbean · « **Reply #32 on:** February 02, 2009, 22:13:20 »

Quote from: Eristic on February 02, 2009, 22:01:25

Quote
some bright spark may register the .com domain name and put the real truth behind the damage it is doing to allotment holders in the uk!!!!

Just a thought...... Grin

Send £25 and its yours. ;D

went through my mind ;) ;) ;)

tonybloke · « **Reply #33 on:** February 03, 2009, 16:24:43 »

who to? (the 25 quid that is)

asbean · « **Reply #34 on:** February 03, 2009, 17:05:18 »

£25 to register the domain name www.manurematters.com for two years. Then the site needs to be hosted which will cost.

70fingers · « **Reply #35 on:** February 03, 2009, 19:17:43 »

too late its gone, obviously they are keeping a watch on the forum chat. :)

asbean · « **Reply #36 on:** February 03, 2009, 19:21:07 »

So they have, the cheeky wotsits:

Whois Server Version 2.0

Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

Domain Name: MANUREMATTERS.COM
Registrar: MARKMONITOR INC.
Whois Server: whois.markmonitor.com
Referral URL: http://www.markmonitor.com
Name Server: MANTDNSI1.DOW.COM
Name Server: TNNTDNSI1.DOW.COM
Name Server: TXNTDNSI1.DOW.COM
Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 03-feb-2009
Creation Date: 03-feb-2009
Expiration Date: 03-feb-2011

>>> Last update of whois database: Tue, 03 Feb 2009 14:19:08 EST <<<

70fingers · « **Reply #37 on:** February 03, 2009, 19:59:02 »

Heres a suggestion - if you think you have been affected by aminopyralid contaminated manure then report it to the Pesticides Safety Directorate. You can contact PSD's Information Section: 01904 455775 by email on information@psd.hse.gsi.gov.uk or better still in writing to Information Section, PSD, Room 214 Mallard House, Kings Pool, 1-3 Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PX, UK.

If you don't report it - they can't investigate it!

The PSD have been looking into the matter but they have had difficulty finding enough allotments to sample from who could say exactly where their manure had come from. This means that Dow can get away with claiming very few people have complained.... and only you can change that.

Have a look at the PSD website for their statements on the subject:
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/approvals.asp?id=2501
and
http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=2529

Power to the people, comrades!

ceres · « **Reply #38 on:** February 03, 2009, 22:05:13 »

You've come to this very late 70fingers. That's all been done. If you search for aminopyralid on this forum you'll find all the threads going back to early last season. In addition to the formal reporting, a lot of individuals up and down the country have done press articles, radio and TV pieces, got MPs and MEPs involved etc. etc. If you Google aminopyralid and manure, you'll get a flavour of what happened.

The reason for this thread is because Dow have launched a charm offensive to persuade the PSD that they have 'educated' users of aminopyralid-based products and users of the resulting manure and that what happened last year won't happen again. www.manurematters.co.uk is the manure users' end of the charm offensive. We're not really convinced, I think.

70fingers · « **Reply #39 on:** February 03, 2009, 22:46:17 »

I know the issue has been discussed for some time - we became aware of it last summer. Notwithstanding that there may be people preparing their soil right now with contaminated manure that they have had sitting on their plot for a while. There will be stocks of aminopyralid left on farms and stables that were purchased before the withdrawal and which could (legally) still be used. I don't think we've seen that last of this problem for a while yet.

I would want to urge everyone who hasn't yet contacted the PSD with any adverse effects they can link to contaminated manure to do so. If we don't, then the charm offensive may just work!

And I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who has posted on the subject because it certainly gave us a heads up and has hopefully prevented us from having the problem.

It's never too late to stand up to the big guys and try and make them do the right thing :-)

News:

Author Topic: www.manurematters.co.uk (Read 16716 times)