Contaminated Manure
Last post 05-10-2008 1:23 PM by digger. 74 replies.
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29/06/2008 12:13 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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47
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There may be some people visiting this forum who are not aware of the current problem with contaminated manure. I think I may be suffering from this (some details/photos here), along with potentially thousands of other gardeners. I suggest you look at this blog, and this article on the RHS site. A google search for contaminated manure will return lots of interesting hits. If you have used manure on your plot this year, I suggest you read the articles. I don't want to sound alarmist, but not all plants show symptoms, so you may not know that you are eating hormone weedkiller. I will probably end up having to dispose of all this years produce.
Lloyd
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30/06/2008 09:02 AM
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Hormone weedkillers are so incredibly potent that if any is present garden plants will show symptoms. In any case livestock can graze treated pastures within seven days and there is no witholding period for meat or milk so the toxicity must be very low.
Understandably jumpy gardeners are blaming every problem on weedkiller damage, when in fact it is the usual troubles of not enough water and not enough fertiliser.
Boggy
Beware the bat-eared bogweevil
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30/06/2008 12:26 PM
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- Ron
- Preston Lancashire
- 30 Jun 2008
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I am from Preston Lancashire and myself and others have been affected with this fern like growth on toms pots and beans on the allotments.
We have been dicussing this matter for the last few weeks wondering what it may be.
I will be making enquiries, as we have all had manure from the same farmer.
Ron
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30/06/2008 01:04 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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47
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Boggy
If you'd seen some of the damage I don't think you wouild be blaming it on insufficient water or fertisliser. There are just too many experienced gardeners reporting problems. Take a looks at some of these posts. The first is probably the best to read.
http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Contaminated_Manure.ikml
http://www.allotments-uk.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5901&whichpage=1
http://forum.downsizer.net/post-578263.html&sid=0910d0d87c01823bc8336283852978df
http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5688&sid=3f311a48562387a1a86ec0270327d473
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30/06/2008 01:30 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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47
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This article suggests that Dow may have been here before, 5 or 6 years ago.
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Clopyralid-Composting-Dow.htm
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30/06/2008 05:30 PM
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Clopyralid is very similar to aminopyralid, but has been used extensively for many years. Although it can and does persist in compost and manure there has been little widescale damage as is being reported now. The label has the same wording on restricting use for mulching, manuring and composting as aminopyralid but clearly the potential to persist and cause harm are much less.
It has been reported as persisting in municipal compost in the USA but the climate, soils and weeds controlled are quite different which would explain its apparent safety in Britian.
Boggy
Beware the bat-eared bogweevil
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30/06/2008 07:09 PM
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- digger
- North East Lancashire
- 18 Jul 2005
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3,448
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Hmmmmn, I am fortunate that my OH has plenty of horses and the free manure is free of any herbicides etc..
digger 
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30/06/2008 09:14 PM
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- sue1002
- Suffolk
- 06 Sep 2005
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3,076
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I think there could very well be a queue outside your OH's stables, perhaps she should start charging for it
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30/06/2008 09:45 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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Does your OH have to bring in hay or straw for feed or bedding ? This has also been identified as a source of contamination. I do hope that she does not, but a lot of people who thought they were safe have been caught out.
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01/07/2008 08:12 AM
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I expect that the manure sold last winter was from stables and yards cleared in winter 2006/7 and the manure that will be sold this winter will be from winter 2007/2008 after a wet, weedy summer in 2007 when farmers might have had to be very free with weedkiller - I think I will rely on growmore for the next few years.
Boggy
Beware the bat-eared bogweevil
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01/07/2008 02:20 PM
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- digger
- North East Lancashire
- 18 Jul 2005
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3,448
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Yes we do buy in hayledge and hay but not straw, Oh has one mow done on two fields of her own and we then buy in from a local farmer , where we buy it in from has used fertiliser on the fields but not weedkillers, the farm at the back of our land mows twice for silage or clamp but I don't know if he uses herbicides or not.
digger
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06/07/2008 09:12 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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It seems that this story continues to get worse. It has been reported (e.g. here) that famous brand bags of organic blended farm manure are even affected.
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06/07/2008 09:51 PM
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- digger
- North East Lancashire
- 18 Jul 2005
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3,448
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Well Lloyd, It does appear that a catastrophe is unfolding, i suppose the only way to be sure that you are using safe manure is to check out the source properly, this of course is easy if like me, you have your own livestock or also like me the local farmer doesn't use herbicides in his grass, I think the herbicides are used on cereal and feed crops also animal feed crops, up here we have no food crop grown commercially except for over the hill in yorkshire they have lots. I think people should be able to at least get their money back for being sold "dud" merchandise, the price of food and fertiliser has seriously escalated lately fertilisers for our local farmer have trebled in price! and this palava with adulterated manure will only increase the price of a diminishing product.
digger
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07/07/2008 12:14 PM
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- Susiq
- Northumberland
- 16 Feb 2008
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Lloyd, thank you very much for such indepth and informative postings. I only heard about it initially from a tiny article in The Weekly News (A Scottish newspaper I think!) I just consider myself extremely lucky that my manure source is several years old, as I have quite a large plot of potato crops, I really feel for those suffering from this after all their hard work.
Not gonna use manure next year for sure!
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07/07/2008 01:16 PM
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- Lloyd
- Sandy
- 08 Mar 2008
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BBC Gardeners Question Time have picked this up, and are asking for anyone with symptoms that they are sure came from comtaminated manure to contact them at gqt@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Manure'. I think it is important than anyone with symptoms does this. We need to continue to raise the profile, to try and get this chemical removed. You can listen to the GQT article by following the above link. The problem is discussed 2 minutes into the programme.
Lloyd
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