According to an article in The Guardian manure from farms that have used a hormone based weed killer is causing damage to food crops where it has been used on allotments. The active ingredient is aminopyralid and is found in the Dow products and Forefront and Pharaoh.
There have been lots of cases where veg crops have been affected.
"The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who have seen potatoes, beans, peas, carrots and salad vegetables wither or become grossly deformed. The society admitted that it had no idea of the extent of the problem, but said it appeared 'significant'. The affected gardens and allotments have been contaminated by manure originating from farms where the hormone-based herbicide aminopyralid has been sprayed on fields.
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Aminopyralid, which is found in several Dow products, the most popular being Forefront, a herbicide, is not licensed to be used on food crops and carries a label warning farmers using it not to sell manure that might contain residue to gardeners. The Pesticides Safety Directorate, which has issued a regulatory update on the weedkiller, is taking samples from affected plants for testing."
Pharaoh.
As a further warning I would add that some years back I took over an allotment that had been sprayed with a glyphosate based weedkiller. I had exactly the same problem with raspberries that were stunted and grew distorted leaves.
The moral of the story is simple; there are no safe pesticides, Whatever the companies claim about instant breakdown in soil.
"The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who have seen potatoes, beans, peas, carrots and salad vegetables wither or become grossly deformed. The society admitted that it had no idea of the extent of the problem, but said it appeared 'significant'. The affected gardens and allotments have been contaminated by manure originating from farms where the hormone-based herbicide aminopyralid has been sprayed on fields.
[...]
Aminopyralid, which is found in several Dow products, the most popular being Forefront, a herbicide, is not licensed to be used on food crops and carries a label warning farmers using it not to sell manure that might contain residue to gardeners. The Pesticides Safety Directorate, which has issued a regulatory update on the weedkiller, is taking samples from affected plants for testing."
Pharaoh.
As a further warning I would add that some years back I took over an allotment that had been sprayed with a glyphosate based weedkiller. I had exactly the same problem with raspberries that were stunted and grew distorted leaves.
The moral of the story is simple; there are no safe pesticides, Whatever the companies claim about instant breakdown in soil.
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