I have received the following message concerning the uplift of manure, contaminated by the herbicide Aminopyralid made by Dow.
"Dow AgroSciences are organising the free collection and appropriate disposal of manure that contains trace amounts of aminopyralid and would like to know if you would be interested in this service.
If this is a service that you would like undertaken, then please reply back with the following information. Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will be able to arrange disposal services in all cases, although we will do our best to help you.
To help in this matter, please answer the questions below and reply back to me by 16th October 2009:
1) Approximately how much manure (either bags or estimated weight) do you have that requires collection?
2) Where is the manure located?
3) Please provide precise details of access arrangements for the site where the manure is located including confirmation of whether there is vehicle access. If you are not the owner of the site, please also confirm whether the owner or another person's permission is required to enter the site:
4) Please provide your contact details: full name, address, postcode and particularly a day time telephone number:
If you do not reply it will be assumed that you do not need any further assistance with the removal of any manure.
Following receipt of this information, I will contact you on behalf of Dow AgroSciences to discuss the follow up arrangements.
Please note that any assistance offered is without admission of liability on the part of Dow AgroSciences or Stewardship Ltd in relation to any losses or damage which may have been caused to your crops.
A website, www.manurematters.co.uk has been created to provide further information.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter and assuring you of our best intentions
Steve Higginbotham
E-mail: manurematters@stewardship-ltd.co.uk "
I would suggest that everybody should take advantage of this offer to get rid of their stockpiles of this contaminated manure and contact them using the above e-mail address by the 16th October.
doing it out of the goodness of their hearts :)
good link, realfood..we've not been affected so far but I know here are lots of people on here who have :)
d**n I wish this offer had been around when I had a skips-worth of old carpet to get rid of ;)
What happens if you find out - - - on 17th October - - - that the pile of manure you have that has contaminated your crops is because of the aminopyralid ??? ???
Recognizing and testing for Aminopyralid contamination of manure.
On my website, I have recently updated the information available on aminopyralid manure contamination. In addition, there are photos to show the typical signs to look out for, that indicate aminopyralid contamination.
New photos and instructions have been added to show how to test manure for aminopyralid contamination. Although the test will take a few weeks to carry out at this time of the year, it is advisable to carry out the test before spreading new supplies of manure over your plot. As there must be thousands of tons of contaminated manure stockpiled on farms and stables, let the buyer beware!!
See this page for information and photos:-
http://www.growyourown.info/page164.html
And if you think you have contaminated manure, contact Dow and demand one of their Bioassay Kits. Here it is:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,55406.msg562821.html#msg562821 (http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,55406.msg562821.html#msg562821)
You get 2kg of multi-purpost compost, 8 shiny new pots and saucers and 35 unspecified bean seeds along with instructions for conducting the bioassay. It costs Dow £9 to post the kit plus the cost of the contents so let's make a little dent in those profits by availing ourselves of their kind offer.
Good thinking, Ceres, hurt that corporate pocket!
My small contribution here is to give everyone news of my MP Tom Watson and his further efforts on my/our behalf. He and Paul Burstow have each tabled similar Early Day Motions http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39228&SESSION=899 (http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39228&SESSION=899) and http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39225&SESSION=899 (http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=39225&SESSION=899). Please contact your MPs to ask them to sign in support of those motions - the more do so, obviously the more notice will be taken.
Also thanks to the more than 2500 people who signed the online petition. The number far surpassed my expectations when I posted it. It was, from every point of view, a worthwhile exercise. If bureaucrats wish to ally themselves with corporations at least we can let them know how we feel.
Sheesh, 2 EDMs? Talk about divide and conquer. Don't our elected representatives ever talk to each other? ??? Pretty much guarantees that neither will get enough signatures to even get noticed, never mind debated. But maybe that's the objective anyway.
can you post the email contact for one of dow's testing kits, please? ;)
Dow aren't talking to mere mortals these days. All things manure go to their sub-contractor. This is the address he replied to me on for test kits:
manurematters@stewardship-ltd.co.uk
You may need to be insistent/persistent/sheer bloodyminded ;)
QuoteIt costs Dow £9 to post the kit plus the cost of the contents so let's make a little dent in those profits by availing ourselves of their kind offer
Brilliant ;D ;D
Quote from: ceres on October 14, 2009, 23:51:46
Dow aren't talking to mere mortals these days. All things manure go to their sub-contractor. This is the address he replied to me on for test kits:
manurematters@stewardship-ltd.co.uk
You may need to be insistent/persistent/sheer bloodyminded ;)
thanks for the address, ceres, just fired off an email asking for a test kit, lets see what/when it happens?
thanks again for keeping this in the limelight,
rgds, Tony
Likewise. ;D ;D ;D
will try, not getting anywhere with the contact email off manurematters... time to fire up my MP again methinks....
I see that Dow are supplying a multipurpose compost with their testing kits. Just a thought, but many bought composts have been partially sterilised during the manufacturing process.
As the test relies on plentiful viable soil bacteria to break down the remains of the grass to release the aminopyralid if present, I would have thought that using soil with plenty bacteria from your garden, would provide a quicker and more reliable result.
No I do not think so. The test is for contamination and relies on nothing. if your manure is contaminated the bean will get sick regardless of whether the growing medium is partially sterile.
Ironically, the compost Dow is providing may in itself be contaminated with their own poison.
It wouldn't be hard to check. Grow a bean seed in compost with nothing added.