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Plants in gardens and allotments all over Britain are dying: The reason is as surprising as it is disturbing...
By Marcus Dunk
Susan Garrett first knew something was wrong when she went to check on her potatoes.
One of her fellow plot holders at the Green Lane allotments in Wakefield had told her that there was something very strange about the way the potatoes were growing on their plot, and asked how Susan's crop was looking.
When Susan checked, what she found caused immediate concern. The leaves of her potato plants were curled and distorted, and the tubers themselves were abnormally small.
Soon, gardeners all over the Green Lane allotments were reporting similar problems, with potatoes, tomatoes, beans and peas all affected to a varying degree. At least a third of the 60 plots were affected.
'We all knew that something was wrong, but we couldn't work out where the problem was coming from,' says Susan.
'Was it a virus that had contaminated the seeds at the nursery? Was it some sort of insect damage? We couldn't work it out.'
After careful analysis, the culprit was finally narrowed down to the manure that many of the plot-holders had bought from the same farmer.
The Royal Horticultural Society was informed and their investigations produced the disturbing conclusion that the manure had been contaminated by weedkiller. It was this weedkiller that had caused the deformation and stunted growth.
More worryingly, it soon transpired that events at the Green Lane allotments were far from an isolated incident. In fact, they were just the tip of the iceberg.
This was a nation-wide problem, with gardeners and allotment-holders all over the country complaining about their plants being affected by contaminated manure that had been supplied by both farmers and nurseries.
Last week, the issue of 'disastrous crops of vegetables' dominated Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.
Panellist Chris Beardshaw warned 'it's potentially a huge problem'.
Another panellist, Pippa Greenwood, added: 'Soil affected by contaminated manure should not be used for up to two years.'
And it is not just vegetables. Many gardeners were reporting their plants had been completely killed off by the manure, with ornamental specimens such as roses, delphiniums and phlox among the victims.
With so many cases - at least 20 a week - being reported, the Government's Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) began its own investigation. And what they discovered has set alarm bells ringing not only among gardeners, but also among farmers, the agrochemical industry and environmental campaigners alike.
The PSD found the manure became contaminated after farmers had applied a specific and popular weed-killing herbicide to pastures, that were then grazed by livestock.
In other words, the animals were ingesting the weedkiller with their grass, and then passing it through their systems and producing contaminated manure.
In some cases, the poisoned manure was produced by animals that had been fed hay or silage produced from pastures which had been sprayed with the weedkiller. The results were equally devastating.
The particular weedkiller at fault, aminopyralid, is a hormone-based herbicide that first came onto the market in 2005 and is used to control docks, thistles and nettles in pasture without harming the grass itself.
But the herbicide binds strongly to a woody material called lignin, which is present in the cell walls of grass and other plants and gives them their structure. This is where the problem lies.
Lignin is not decomposed in the digestion process and it decays only when the manure breaks down in the soil. When it does eventually decay, the aminopyralid attached to it is released and any susceptible plants in the allotment or garden can be affected.
Although the PSD insists that the grazing animals are not harmed by the herbicide, Dow AgroSciences, which makes the weedkiller, advises farmers not to sell the manure produced from cattle or sheep that have been grazed on pastures which have been so treated.
But it is impossible to check the source of every bag of manure produced in the country and Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society, says farmers are flouting the rules.
'It's clear that we've had a situation where some farmers have either not bothered to read the instructions, or have just simply ignored them.'
Dow AgroSciences has now withdrawn the product and the PSD has suspended the approval of all products containing aminopyralid pending further investigation.
But grass treated as long as a year ago is still being fed to animals, and contaminated manure has been sent all over the country where it is still waiting to be spread onto gardens and allotments.
Furthermore, there are concerns about the safety of food produced where the manure has been used.
Initially, when the problem was discovered, Dow advised allotment and vegetable growers not to eat any product grown from affected plants. But now the PSD says eating vegetables grown in the contaminated manure 'does not have implications for human health' and the warning has been withdrawn.
Gardeners such as Susan Garrett remain unconvinced. 'At first the advice was not to eat it, but now they're saying it's safe,' she says.
'Who knows whether it's safe? We haven't eaten anything that was contaminated, but other people reluctantly have because everything they grew was affected.
'We've been told that manure should be safe next year or so, but we're not convinced. We've never had manure that has so steadfastly refused to rot, and we think that the damage will be long-lasting.'
What is adding to their concern is the growing likelihood that the offending herbicide will be reintroduced onto the market in the near future.
Although the PSD will not confirm this, many growers believe it is inevitable - and that the cycle of contamination will inevitably occur all over again.
'We don't know whether the herbicide is coming back, but if it does there will be problems,' says Keith Ball, Director of Certification at the Soil Association.
'It lasts for a long time in manure, and we will see a situation where contaminated manure will start building up on farms. There is really no way to control it.
'Even some organic growers have been affected because under the rules they are allowed to bring in small amounts of composted manure used from sources where horses have been fed on non-organic grass.
'We think the only realistic solution is for Defra to totally ban the herbicide, and that is what we have been campaigning for.'
Meanwhile, Susan Garrett and other gardeners at the Green Lane allotments are also hoping for a total ban. They think more needs to be done to regulate the use of chemicals.
'We've been told that the misuse of chemicals is prosecutable, and it's clear that farmers have been misusing these products, so why have there been no prosecutions?' asks Susan.
'If the product is reintroduced, what will happen then? There seems to be no enforcement of the regulations, and no regulation at all regarding the sale of manure. It's a deeply frustrating and worrying situation.'
Bryn Pugh, legal consultant at the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners, said he was preparing claims for some members to seek compensation from the manure suppliers.
But it was extremely difficult to trace the exact origins of each contaminated batch.
'It seems to be everywhere. From what I know, it is endemic throughout England and Wales. We will be pressing the Government to ban this product,' he said.
For now, Susan Garrett is hoping - along with gardeners around the country - that next year will not bring a repeat of the abnormal growth and devastated yields that plagued this year's harvest.
Last updated at 11:47 PM on 05th October 2008
Plants in gardens and allotments all over Britain are dying: The reason is as surprising as it is disturbing...
By Marcus Dunk
Susan Garrett first knew something was wrong when she went to check on her potatoes.
One of her fellow plot holders at the Green Lane allotments in Wakefield had told her that there was something very strange about the way the potatoes were growing on their plot, and asked how Susan's crop was looking.
When Susan checked, what she found caused immediate concern. The leaves of her potato plants were curled and distorted, and the tubers themselves were abnormally small.
Soon, gardeners all over the Green Lane allotments were reporting similar problems, with potatoes, tomatoes, beans and peas all affected to a varying degree. At least a third of the 60 plots were affected.
'We all knew that something was wrong, but we couldn't work out where the problem was coming from,' says Susan.
'Was it a virus that had contaminated the seeds at the nursery? Was it some sort of insect damage? We couldn't work it out.'
After careful analysis, the culprit was finally narrowed down to the manure that many of the plot-holders had bought from the same farmer.
The Royal Horticultural Society was informed and their investigations produced the disturbing conclusion that the manure had been contaminated by weedkiller. It was this weedkiller that had caused the deformation and stunted growth.
More worryingly, it soon transpired that events at the Green Lane allotments were far from an isolated incident. In fact, they were just the tip of the iceberg.
This was a nation-wide problem, with gardeners and allotment-holders all over the country complaining about their plants being affected by contaminated manure that had been supplied by both farmers and nurseries.
Last week, the issue of 'disastrous crops of vegetables' dominated Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time.
Panellist Chris Beardshaw warned 'it's potentially a huge problem'.
Another panellist, Pippa Greenwood, added: 'Soil affected by contaminated manure should not be used for up to two years.'
And it is not just vegetables. Many gardeners were reporting their plants had been completely killed off by the manure, with ornamental specimens such as roses, delphiniums and phlox among the victims.
With so many cases - at least 20 a week - being reported, the Government's Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) began its own investigation. And what they discovered has set alarm bells ringing not only among gardeners, but also among farmers, the agrochemical industry and environmental campaigners alike.
The PSD found the manure became contaminated after farmers had applied a specific and popular weed-killing herbicide to pastures, that were then grazed by livestock.
In other words, the animals were ingesting the weedkiller with their grass, and then passing it through their systems and producing contaminated manure.
In some cases, the poisoned manure was produced by animals that had been fed hay or silage produced from pastures which had been sprayed with the weedkiller. The results were equally devastating.
The particular weedkiller at fault, aminopyralid, is a hormone-based herbicide that first came onto the market in 2005 and is used to control docks, thistles and nettles in pasture without harming the grass itself.
But the herbicide binds strongly to a woody material called lignin, which is present in the cell walls of grass and other plants and gives them their structure. This is where the problem lies.
Lignin is not decomposed in the digestion process and it decays only when the manure breaks down in the soil. When it does eventually decay, the aminopyralid attached to it is released and any susceptible plants in the allotment or garden can be affected.
Although the PSD insists that the grazing animals are not harmed by the herbicide, Dow AgroSciences, which makes the weedkiller, advises farmers not to sell the manure produced from cattle or sheep that have been grazed on pastures which have been so treated.
But it is impossible to check the source of every bag of manure produced in the country and Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society, says farmers are flouting the rules.
'It's clear that we've had a situation where some farmers have either not bothered to read the instructions, or have just simply ignored them.'
Dow AgroSciences has now withdrawn the product and the PSD has suspended the approval of all products containing aminopyralid pending further investigation.
But grass treated as long as a year ago is still being fed to animals, and contaminated manure has been sent all over the country where it is still waiting to be spread onto gardens and allotments.
Furthermore, there are concerns about the safety of food produced where the manure has been used.
Initially, when the problem was discovered, Dow advised allotment and vegetable growers not to eat any product grown from affected plants. But now the PSD says eating vegetables grown in the contaminated manure 'does not have implications for human health' and the warning has been withdrawn.
Gardeners such as Susan Garrett remain unconvinced. 'At first the advice was not to eat it, but now they're saying it's safe,' she says.
'Who knows whether it's safe? We haven't eaten anything that was contaminated, but other people reluctantly have because everything they grew was affected.
'We've been told that manure should be safe next year or so, but we're not convinced. We've never had manure that has so steadfastly refused to rot, and we think that the damage will be long-lasting.'
What is adding to their concern is the growing likelihood that the offending herbicide will be reintroduced onto the market in the near future.
Although the PSD will not confirm this, many growers believe it is inevitable - and that the cycle of contamination will inevitably occur all over again.
'We don't know whether the herbicide is coming back, but if it does there will be problems,' says Keith Ball, Director of Certification at the Soil Association.
'It lasts for a long time in manure, and we will see a situation where contaminated manure will start building up on farms. There is really no way to control it.
'Even some organic growers have been affected because under the rules they are allowed to bring in small amounts of composted manure used from sources where horses have been fed on non-organic grass.
'We think the only realistic solution is for Defra to totally ban the herbicide, and that is what we have been campaigning for.'
Meanwhile, Susan Garrett and other gardeners at the Green Lane allotments are also hoping for a total ban. They think more needs to be done to regulate the use of chemicals.
'We've been told that the misuse of chemicals is prosecutable, and it's clear that farmers have been misusing these products, so why have there been no prosecutions?' asks Susan.
'If the product is reintroduced, what will happen then? There seems to be no enforcement of the regulations, and no regulation at all regarding the sale of manure. It's a deeply frustrating and worrying situation.'
Bryn Pugh, legal consultant at the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners, said he was preparing claims for some members to seek compensation from the manure suppliers.
But it was extremely difficult to trace the exact origins of each contaminated batch.
'It seems to be everywhere. From what I know, it is endemic throughout England and Wales. We will be pressing the Government to ban this product,' he said.
For now, Susan Garrett is hoping - along with gardeners around the country - that next year will not bring a repeat of the abnormal growth and devastated yields that plagued this year's harvest.
Last updated at 11:47 PM on 05th October 2008
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