Contaminated farmyard manure causes abnormal growth |
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It is believed that the manure has been inadvertently contaminated with aminopyralid. This selective, hormone-type herbicide is used on pastures to control weeds. Manure from animals fed on treated pastures contains chemical residues sufficient to damage susceptible crops. Gardeners buying this manure to apply to vegetable crops and gardens are coming across abnormal growth particularly on tomatoes, potatoes and legumes, although ornamental plants such as delphinium, phlox and roses may also be susceptible. Symptoms of damage include distorted foliage, with cupping of leaves and fern-like growth. There are no remedies once damage has occurred, though some crops may show no symptoms and others may show signs of recovery. Where there is a harvestable crop, the Pesticide Safety Directory after consultation with the Food Standards Agency have given assurance that produce from affected land is safe to eat. Guy Barter, RHS Head of Horticultural Advisory Services said: "Until recently weed killer damage was fairly unusual and usually due to inadvertent mistakes in applying lawn weed killers and using contaminated watering cans and sprayers. This year not only are there far more instances reported to us than usual, but farmyard manure is frequently implicated as the source of the weed killer. Clearly gardeners should seek assurances from their suppliers that the bedding or forage used in the manure has not been treated with hormone-type weed killers." For more advice on contaminated manure, see the RHS Advice profile: weedkiller in manure For more information on aminopyralid and clopyralid visit the Pesticide Safety Directorate website
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News
Farmyard manure contaminated with weedkiller residue is causing abnormal growth of vegetable crops throughout the country.