Contaminated Manure Petition - Aminopyralid

[jacob marley]

It seems to be used to control weeds, esp on large fields - so perhaps this is as a result of offsetting fields rather than growing on them....Solution - grow on them???

They are growing on them the stuff is sprayed on grownig grass that is going to be Hay.
That is where the problem is it stays in the hay and goe's through the animals that eat it and is still strong enough to effect the muck 2 years later .
As they say mighty powerfull stuff....jacob

[SarzWix]

It kills broadleafed weeds, like docks etc, whilst not killing the grass/cereal crops. There are other methods of controlling these weeds which were used prior to these Forefront type weedkillers. I know farmers locally who have never used the aminopyralid based weedkillers, some preferring to wait for a product to be on the market for long enough to find out what it's true effects are, and some who farm without any type of weedkiller going on their hay crop because they don't want it going into their prize livestock. I've found out a lot of this info when ringing round to find out if I could get some uncontaminated manure. (In fact it looks very likely that the contaminated stuff I used was from a retail bag, I couldn't find anyone here in the Dales that DID have contaminated manure!)
So to say that humans need this horrible stuff just because there's too many of us to feed, is, quite frankly, rubbish!

[Pumpkin Becki]

I notice Peter has started a thread on this today too, I just hope a petition is enough to sway the Government.

[HayleyB]

Signed it, I don't want my nags eating the stuff especially since I use their muck...........

[glallotments]

Fair enough but the planet hasn't had to feed 6 billion people for hundreds/thousands of years. I would rather we used no chemicals in food production but I fear humankind have backed themselves into a corner.

This herbicide isn't used in food production though.

[Pumpkin Becki]

This herbicide isn't used in food production though.

Maybe not, but its the effects the resulting manure has on the produce/plantlife it is applied to afterwards that is the problem. It can stay active in the manure for around 2 years.

[glallotments]

Maybe not, but its the effects the resulting manure has on the produce/plantlife it is applied to afterwards that is the problem. It can stay active in the manure for around 2 years.

Sorry but you missed my point - the point was to answer Rana's comment that we need chemicals to increase crop production and feed a growing population. It wasn't to deny that this herbicide can get into the food chain. As one affected last year on my allotment I had to consider whether or not to eat affected crops so I know only too well that the contamination extends to our food.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Sorry but you missed my point.

Ahh, apologies.

However (and I'm just putting this thought out there, it's not directed at anyone in particular - so please don't get cross with me peeps), I do sometimes wonder whether nature is trying to tell us there are just too many humans on this planet, and she's doing everything she can to drop the numbers a bit and stop us wrecking it any further - famine, disease, earthquakes etc.

There has to come a point where the planet isn't big enough to support all of us and our activities, and what will we do then? Answer, some people will die (probably from illness or starvation) and drop the numbers back to a manageable size. We have to start living in a more sustainable and 'local' way to help nature, not fight her, and I don't see that using pesticides or herbicides on anything and everything is the way to achieve that.

We're just fleas on natures back, and sooner or later she's going to have a jolly good scratch!

[rana]

Ahh, apologies.

However (and I'm just putting this thought out there, it's not directed at anyone in particular - so please don't get cross with me peeps), I do sometimes wonder whether nature is trying to tell us there are just too many humans on this planet, and she's doing everything she can to drop the numbers a bit and stop us wrecking it any further - famine, disease, earthquakes etc.

There has to come a point where the planet isn't big enough to support all of us and our activities, and what will we do then? Answer, some people will die (probably from illness or starvation) and drop the numbers back to a manageable size. We have to start living in a more sustainable and 'local' way to help nature, not fight her, and I don't see that using pesticides or herbicides on anything and everything is the way to achieve that.

We're just fleas on natures back, and sooner or later she's going to have a jolly good scratch!

Couldn't agree more!

[jacob marley]

This herbicide isn't used in food production though.

Your quite right but if it stays in the muck why should it not stay in the cattle and lambs that eat it some thing else to ponder on it could happen....jacob