Home-grown veg ruined by toxic fertiliser+Contaminated vegetables:who's to blame

June 30, 2008

Home-grown veg ruined by toxic fertiliser

_http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture_

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture)

Gardeners across Britain are reaping a bitter harvest of rotten potatoes, w

ithered salads and deformed tomatoes after an industrial herbicide tainted

their soil. Caroline Davies reports on how the food chain became contaminated

and talks to the angry allotment owners whose plots have been destroyed

Caroline Davies The Observer, Sunday June 29, 2008

What's the solution? Join the debate and find out more _on our food blog_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html)

Contaminated vegetables: who's to blame?

_http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html)

Gardeners have been warned not to eat home-grown vegetables contaminated by

a powerful new herbicide that is destroying gardens and allotments across the

UK.

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.

Dow AgroSciences, which manufactures aminopyralid, has posted advice to

allotment holders and gardeners on its website. Colin Bowers, Dow's UK

grassland

marketing manager, told The Observer that links to their products had been

proved in some of the cases, but it was not clear whether aminopyralid was

responsible for all of them and tests were continuing. 'It is undoubtedly a

problem,' he said, 'and I have got full sympathy for everyone who is involved

with

this.' He said the company was unable to advise gardeners that it was 'safe'

to consume vegetables that had come into contact with the manure because of

pesticide regulations. 'All we can say is that the trace levels of

aminopyralid that are likely to be in these crops are of such low levels that

they are

unlikely to cause a problem to human health.'

The Dow website says: 'As a general rule, we suggest damaged produce

(however this is caused) should not be consumed.' Those who have already

used contaminated manure are advised not to replant on the affected soil for at

least a year.

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.

Problems with the herbicide emerged late last year, when some commercial

potato growers reported damaged crops. In response, Dow launched a campaign

within the agriculture industry to ensure that farmers were aware of how the

products should be used. Nevertheless, the herbicide has now entered the food

chain. Those affected are demanding an investigation and a ban on the product.

They say they have been given no definitive answer as to whether other produce

on their gardens and allotments is safe to eat. It appears that the

contamination came from grass treated 12 months ago. Experts say the grass was

probably made into silage, then fed to cattle during the winter months. The

herbicide remained present in the silage, passed through the animal and into

manure

that was later sold. Horses fed on hay that had been treated could also be a

channel.

Bryn Pugh, legal consultant at the National Society of Allotments and

Leisure Gardeners, said he was preparing claims for some members to seek

financial

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.

Aminopyralid is popular with farmers, who spray it on grassland because it

controls weeds such as docks, thistles and nettles without affecting the grass

around them. It binds itself to the woody tissue in the grass and only

breaks down when exposed to bacteria in the soil.

Shirley Murray, 53, a retired management consultant with an allotment near

Bushy Park in Hampton, south-west London, said several of her allotment

neighbours had used the same manure bought from a stables and all were

affected. 'I

am absolutely incensed at what has happened and find it scandalous that a

weedkiller sprayed more than one year ago, that has passed through an animal's

gut, was kicked around on a stable floor, stored in a muck heap in a field,

then on an allotment site and was finally dug into or mulched on to beds last

winter is still killing " sensitive " crops and will continue to do so for the

next year,' she said. 'It's very toxic, it shouldn't get into the food chain.

You try to be as organic as you can and we have poisoned ourfood. I've been

everywhere, emailed all the right people, but nobody will speak on the record

to guarantee what is safe to eat. We all think it is a scandal. Not to

mention what it has cost in time and money.'

Pesticide expert Professor Vyvyan Howard, a toxico-pathologist at Ulster

University, said it was 'a very powerful herbicide' but in his opinion was

'unlikely to pose any human health risks'. However, advice about its use should

be

strengthened, he said. 'I think the thing that is going to drive this is the

commercial damage that could be done to market gardeners,' he said.

Guy Barter, the RHS head of horticultural advisory services, said they were

receiving more than 20 calls a week. 'Our advice is not to eat the vegetables

because no one seems to have any idea whether it is safe to eat them and we

can't give any assurances,' he said. 'It is happening all over the country. A

lot of cases we are seeing is where people have got manure from stables and

the stable have bought their hay from a merchant, and the merchant might have

bought hay from many farmers, possibly from different parts of the country.

So they have no idea where the hay came from. So finding someone to blame is

quite difficult.' Weedkiller in the soil should dissipate by next year, but

in stacks of contaminated manure it might take two or more years to decay, he

added.

Dow is planning a major publicity campaign to reiterate warnings to farmers

over usage, and to encourage allotment holders to check the provenance of

manure that they put down in an effort to prevent the problem escalating. On

compensation, it was less forthcoming. 'There is no easy answer to that,' said

Bowers. 'The first port of call is always where the manure comes from. From

that point on, I can't really comment. 'The chain is horrendously complicated.

In the cases we have managed to trace back, we might find that the farmer who

supplied the manure didn't spray anything himself, but he might have bought

in a couple of bales of silage from one of his neighbours, and that farm

might have sprayed.'

Robin and Christina Jones spread a large amount of manure over their flower

garden and vegetable patch at their home in Banstead, Surrey. When the

potatoes failed, Robin took a sample to the RHS, which identified aminopyralid.

His

neighbour, who bought from the same source, suffered the same problems. 'We

have lost 80 per cent of our vegetable patch,' said Jones, 65, a retired

sound engineer. Raspberries, French beans, onions, leeks, even a newly planted

robina tree were all affected. 'We are distraught. But what worries me is that

the courgettes look very healthy. Had we not had the problem with the

potatoes, we might never have realised. Now we are advised not to eat them.

'This is a very serious issue, and people must be made aware of the advice

not to eat vegetables grown in contaminated manure.' Sue Ainsworth, 58, an

education consultant, said around 20 allotments at her site in Hale, Cheshire,

had been affected. 'We first noticed with the potatoes. As they came through,

they were deformed, all curled over and rotten underneath. But the worry is

that the courgettes also planted on the manure are fine - but are they safe to

eat? This must have affected thousands of people. I am really worried about

this product and really think it should be withdrawn.' She said the farmer

who supplied the manure said he had used nothing unusual. 'But he may have

bought in the straw and genuinely knew nothing about the herbicide used.'

Susan Garrett, 57, an IT consultant, said 20 plots were affected at her

allotment in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. 'And that is just the plants we can see

are damaged. We are angry it has been allowed to happen - not with the

chemical company, but because there doesn't seem to be any protection for us or

anything to stop it happening again.'

How to deal with the problem Do you have contaminated manure?

Tell-tale symptoms of crop damage include distorted foliage, with cupping of

leaves and fern-like growth. There are no remedies once damage has occurred.

Susceptible crops include potatoes, tomatoes, beans, peas, carrots and

lettuce.

How should you deal with the affected area?

Experts say rotavation is the best practice, or forking over several times

as soon as possible. This incorporates the plant tissue into the soil, where

it will decompose and the chemicals will eventually be degraded by soil

microbes. Repeat the rotavation in late summer/early autumn.

Should you replant this season?

No. The plant residues need to be given time to break down. The advice is

not to replant for a year.

Why has the chemical lasted so long?

Aminopyralid, like other herbicides, works by binding strongly to plant

tissues. Once the plant's tissues decay, the chemical breaks down in the soil.

If

manure is stacked it takes far longer.

This article appeared in the Observer on Sunday June 29 2008 on p8 of the

News section. It was last updated at 00:07 on June 29 2008.

What's the solution? Join the debate and find out more _on our food blog_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html)

Contaminated vegetables: who's to blame?

_http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html)

Who is responsible for the dispersal of contaminated manure?

Gardeners who have unwittingly poisoned their own vegetables _by applying

manure contaminated with a powerful new herbicide_

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture) are

incensed - and rightly so.

Seeing months of hard work result in deformed and withered produce must be

heartbreaking. But this is the picture on _allotments and vegetable plots_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/allotment/) across the UK because manure

containing

the hormone-based herbicide aminopyralid has been sold to grow-your-own

enthusiasts.

It is something that should never have happened. The herbicide - introduced

just two years ago by Dow AgroSciences Ltd and _found in several of its

products_ (http://www.dowagro.com/uk/grass_bites/faq/allotment.htm) - is not

approved to be used on food crops.

It carries a warning to that effect on its label. There are warnings, too,

about ensuring manure from livestock which has grazed or been fed grass

treated with the weedkiller does not find its way onto gardens.

But, as affected gardeners view their distorted potatoes, tomatoes, beans

and peas and wonder if their other vegetables are safe to eat, it is clear

something has gone badly wrong. And now they are _looking for someone to blame_

(http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=2465) .

Should the finger be pointed at Dow AgroSciences? While admitting some of

the manure can be linked back to their products, the company says it is by no

means clear that all the episodes of contamination now being reported are as a

result of aminopyralid.

They have broken no rules. Nevertheless, they acknowledge it is

" undoubtedly' a problem. To help, they have set up an _online hotline and posted

an

information page on their website_

(http://www.dowagro.com/uk/grass_bites/faq/allotment.htm) which advises

concerned people to email them at _UKHotline_

(UKHotline) .

They are also now planning a publicity campaign to drive home the message to

farmers that they must handle these products with utmost care, and to warn

gardeners they must check the provenance of any manure they buy.

Should the farmer who sold the manure be held responsible? That is not an

easy one. In some cases the farmer had not sprayed his grassland at all and

behaved completely responsibly, but still the manure was contaminated. One

explanation could be that the farmer bought in silage off other farmers to feed

livestock - and one of them had been sprayed. Or, perhaps, it came from a horse

fed hay bought from a hay merchant, who bought from several farmers. Tracing

back the chain becomes horribly complicated.

Should the product be banned? Certainly that's the opinion of some gardeners

I spoke to for _the story in today's Observer_

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/29/food.agriculture) . Or will

strengthening the label

warning be enough to prevent the problem escalating? These are just some of the

questions currently being debated in _the gardening community_

(http://www.rhs.org.uk/news/Weedkiller-manure.asp) .

Comments

EvilClanger

Comment No. _1192140_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192140)

_June 28 22:05_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192140)

This goes to show that we really do reap what we sow in the food chain and

the environment. Put something nasty into a system and somewhere along the

line something nasty will come back out, in this case in the manure.

Very harsh on those who thought that they were avoiding precisely this sort

of thing.

Veganic gardening (which excludes slaughterhouse and animal waste products)

and attempting as much self-sufficiency as you can are ways forward that

reduce the dangers of this. That's not one compost bin but the full Monty

(Don)-a

row of them, together with green manures and your own comfrey production.

If the product that Dow are producing is this much of a problem as a

residual, then IMHO it should be withdrawn and banned. The risk factors from

residual damage are just too great. It is clearly getting into the environment

as a

residual in a condition that causes environmental damage.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192140, was written by

EvilClanger, at June 28, 2008 10:05 PM, and starts with This goes to show that

we

really do reap what we sow in the food chain and the environment. Put some)

rabblerouser

Comment No. _1192384_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192384)

_June 29 5:13_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192384)

Of course this is a disgrace. But really, is anyone surprised?

The challenges that we are collectivley facing in the world (energy

'crisis', global economic depression, continued environmental degredation, the

fear

sponsored illiberal agenda, and so much more) are neither inevitable or

insurmountable.

That is to say they are happening - but we can stop them.

To do so requires an understanding of their origin. The challenges we face

are not unrelated or accidental. And please, hear me out.

It is patently obvious to any rational and observant individual that our

economic and political systems are (and by 'our' I mean globally, as the same

challenges and threats are apparent in most Nation States) not serving 'we the

people'.

The EU and it's unaccountable bureacracy has been forced down the necks of

each Nation time and again. When the Brits, Danes, or Irish are asked to bless

the loss of Sovereignty - and don't... they are asked until they do... or

they stop asking and plough on regardless. What happened to representative

democracy? The concept that our public servants were just that - servants of

us,

the public. When did we allow our representatives to become our rulers? Did

we not work this one out a few hundred years ago?

The American's thought they had, yet take a hop over the pond and see the

same thing occuring there. The (rightly) much vaunted Constitution is, in

effect, in tatters. That the papers laying the foundation of a North American

Union have been signed by the presidents of Mexico and the USA and the former

PM

of Candada remains a mystery to most. That a new currency 'the Amero' is also

envisioned, makes the Federal Reserve Bank's actions to run the USD into the

ground even more suspicious.

In Europe, as in N America, our rights to enjoy the health benefits of

Vitamin supplements, herbs, and Anthroposophical wisdom are all under threat.

The point is - and let me be concise rather than labour this argument any

further (if you are still with me I thank you - and remind you that we are

supposed to be discussing who's to blame for poisoned food!).

We are to blame. You and me. Why? Because we know better. Because the

writing is on the wall, and if we ignore it we do so at our peril.

The challenges we face collectivley are offering us the opportunity to unite

at both the grass roots and globally to overcome the 'old order' who so

derire a " New World Order " . It is time for us to reclaim our power - through

the

power of thought and intention and right action. Now is a time to Act, or, to

Re-Act. It is not a time for inaction.

Aldous Huxley said in his later years that his dystopian predictions of a

'Brave New World' seemed to be encroching ever nearer, and that the only

solution was effective grass roots action - he lamented that such action did

not

seem to occuring.

Today I look around and feel much more positive and enlivened that he must

have. We can change the world for the better, indeed we are. What issues like

this one concerning toxic manure present us with, is an opportunity to take

positive action. Be it petitioning your MP or finding unpoluted land to

re-plant on or leading a protest to close down the production and distribution

of

such toxic chemicals in your country or town.

....do something!

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192384, was written by

rabblerouser, at June 29, 2008 5:13 AM, and starts with Of course this is a

disgrace. But really, is anyone surprised?The challenges that we are collecti)

JacNZ

Comment No. _1192391_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192391)

_June 29 6:04_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192391)

This should be a warning to all who think they can answer the worlds food

problems industrially. For they (DOW) are the very people who are lobbying to

get us to plant genetically modifioed crops, so we have to spray more of their

products on our soils.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192391, was written by

JacNZ,

at June 29, 2008 6:04 AM, and starts with This should be a warning to all who

think they can answer the worlds food problems industrially. Fo)

icurahuman2

Comment No. _1192398_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192398)

_June 29 6:44_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192398)

Oh ye of too much faith! If you use any kind of herbicide or insecticide you

are flirting with danger. Try typing glyphosate and cancer into your web

search engine and see what comes up. What you will find is a lot of evidence

that RoundUp ,which is really glyphosate, is tied to non-Hogkins lymphoma, the

fastest rising cancer in the world. So there you have it in a nutshell, the

chemical companies, who sell tens of thousands of chemical products do not test

there products very well for effects on humans, or anything else for that

matter as it appears that RoundUp destroys subsoil bacteria as well, along with

everything up to birds that eat worms from contaminated soil. What makes you

think that this chemical is any different? When you think of herbicides and

insecticides all you have to do is think, homicide, suicide, patricide,

matricide and infanticide and you'll get a much better idea of what you are

putting in your mouth. Oh, by the way, how are the cattle doing that consumed

the

contaminated grass and silage? Have you eaten any of it lately? Good luck with

all of that! Dummies!

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y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192398, was written by

icurahuman2, at June 29, 2008 6:44 AM, and starts with Oh ye of too much

faith! If

you use any kind of herbicide or insecticide you are flirting with dang)

festina

Comment No. _1192437_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192437)

_June 29 8:35_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192437)

yes icurahuman 2,

not suitable for human consumption but, fed to animals bred for human

consumption,

strange practice.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192437, was written by

festina, at June 29, 2008 8:35 AM, and starts with yes icurahuman 2, not

suitable

for human consumption but, fed to animals bred for human consumption)

Nicoise

Comment No. _1192452_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192452)

_June 29 9:05_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192452)

Confirmation, as if it was needed, that our food chain is still broken, that

DEFRA and government is guilty of incompetence and political compromises and

that this will not change without radical public protest. So take-up your

manure and rotten vegetables and head to your local MP's summer residence and

ensure that they are at least put to a good use and thoroughly re-cycled.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192452, was written by

Nicoise, at June 29, 2008 9:05 AM, and starts with Confirmation, as if it was

needed, that our food chain is still broken, that DEFRA and government is)

diddlyoompah

Comment No. _1192519_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192519)

_June 29 10:47_ (http://blogs.guardian.c

o.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#comment-1192519)

Um... Isn't this the company that bought Union Carbide, the firm that, in

December 1984 poisoned and killed 3,800 people in Bhopal, and maimed another

100,000 or so?

Google Bhopal if you didn't know about it.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192519, was written by

diddlyoompah, at June 29, 2008 10:47 AM, and starts with Um... Isn't this the

company

that bought Union Carbide, the firm that, in December 1984 poisoned an)

madmustelid

Comment No. _1192531_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192531)

_June 29 10:55_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192531)

It is clear now, if it wasn't earlier, that there is a plain risk of damage

caused by the release of this product.

Therefore, anyone from now on selling or using it would seem to be putting

themselves at risk of charges of criminal negligence should this happen again.

Penalties should include compensation for lost crops and punitive damages

for the careless nature of the continuation of supply, particularly in the face

of unknown hazards to human health.

Dow, are you listening? Class action, anyone?

Of course, we can't expect DEFRA, the FSA, or any other Government Agency to

take up the cudgel (or even a rolled-up newspaper) - the agrochemical

industry is too good source of funds and future patronage, while our elected

representatives are too absorbed with the mirage of " terrorist threats " to be

concerned with real and present dangers to actual people.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192531, was written by

madmustelid, at June 29, 2008 10:55 AM, and starts with It is clear now, if it

wasn't

earlier, that there is a plain risk of damage caused by the release of)

demeter

Comment No. _1192548_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192548)

_June 29 11:08_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192548)

I'm one of the affected growers. My crops this year are ruined and probably

next year too going by the experience of other growers hit last year. I've

lost money and crops and no-one will come clean and say, yes or no, that any

fruit or veg I manage to produce are safe to eat.

The manufacturer of the weedkiller alleged to be causing the problem applied

for a licence in New York State. They were forced to withdraw the licence

application because the licensing authority rejected the data submitted in

support of the application on the environmental fate of the product and the

extreme variation in half-lives under different soil conditions. Was DEFRA

satisfied with the data rejected by the New York State authorities?

There is a fundamental flaw in the process whereby use of the weedkiller is

controlled. Commercial growers who spray their fields are obliged to notify

their customers that spraying has taken place. But those customers are not the

persons supplying the affected amateur growers. Amateur growers are at the

end of the supply chain and may be 5 or 6 times removed from the original

supplier. It is clear from the scale of the problem that the sprayed warning is

not accompanying the sprayed product down the supply chain.

And from my own experience, it is virtually impossible to trace the source

of the contamination from over a year ago from a stables that has multiple

sources of bedding and feed. So I have no redress. It's scandalous.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192548, was written by

demeter, at June 29, 2008 11:08 AM, and starts with I'm one of the affected

growers.

My crops this year are ruined and probably next year too going by)

glallotments

Comment No. _1192580_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192580)

_June 29 11:35_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192580)

If you are interested in reading about our experience with lots of photos of

what affected crops look like then you could visit our webpage

_http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Contaminated_Manure.ikml_

(http://www.glallotments.btik.com/p_Contaminated_Manure.ikml)

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192580, was written by

glallotments, at June 29, 2008 11:35 AM, and starts with If you are interested

in

reading about our experience with lots of photos of what affected crops loo)

alice2008

Comment No. _1192602_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192602)

_June 29 11:58_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192602)

I am using compost and grow bags containing " soil improvers " and

" nutrimate " Does anyone know if there is a possibility that such products might

have been

contaminated,thus explaining my sickly tomatoes?

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192602, was written by

alice2008, at June 29, 2008 11:58 AM, and starts with I am using compost and

grow bags containing " soil improvers " and " nutrimate " Does anyone know if the)

demeter

Comment No. _1192627_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192627)

_June 29 12:13_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192627)

Alice, the growth pattern of affected plants is very distinctive and is only

caused by this weedkiller. The tomato photograph at the head of this blog

shows the growth pattern very clearly. If yours don't look like that, you don't

have this problem and need to look elsewhere for an answer. You could join a

gardening or allotment forum, post a photograph and ask for advice.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192627, was written by

demeter, at June 29, 2008 12:13 PM, and starts with Alice, the growth pattern of

affected plants is very distinctive and is only caused by this weedkill)

maggib1943

Comment No. _1192719_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192719)

_June 29 14:04_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192719)

About 3 years ago, my tomatoes, growing in a pot, developed symptoms of

hormone weedkiller damage. Exactly as described in this article. As I'm a

committed organic gardener, working in the business for many years, this was

not

possible. I sent samples of the plants to the RHs who confirmed my suspicions.

No one around me had vegetable gardens. The only way the tomatoes could have

been contaminated was through manure that I had added to my compost heap 12

months earlier. It came from a barn where calves had been reared, from a

local farm. At the time I found the idea rather far-fetched, but it was the

only

possible route. Now I have confirmation.

But how can we ordinary gardeners guard against these powerful chemicals?

They must be swirling around all the time - it makes those lovely leisurely

country walks far less appealing......

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192719, was written by

maggib1943, at June 29, 2008 2:04 PM, and starts with About 3 years ago, my

tomatoes, growing in a pot, developed symptoms of hormone weedkiller damage. E)

Herbali

Comment No. _1192758_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192758)

_June 29 14:47_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192758)

We are a small co-operative and were delighted to have our first

poly-tunnel, in which we built raised beds, and dug in plenty of what we thought

was

good quality manure. We have watched in horror as our tomatoes and aubergines

curled up and died - we're now faced with digging out the whole tunnel before

we can grow anything next year. In addition, I'm a herbalist and had

top-dressed some valuable medicinal herbs which I'd raised from seed for three

years.

To destroy these not only loses me a lot of money, but means I have to wait

for another three years to get some more plants mature enough to use.

It seems clear that we're far from the only people affected, and market

gardeners stand to lose much more than we do. Individual farmers who've used

this

stuff on their hay crops cannot be held to blame - unless the warnings are

really clear and in big bold lettering, they're unlikely to realise that this

chemical is any different from all the others they've used over the years.

Dow must be held completely liable - they must have known that this

herbicide would be used on crops which could get into the food chain. They

should be

held accountable, and made to open a full-scale investigation. We need to

know if our crops are safe to eat, not just now but over the next few years. We

need to know what are the likely effects on us of food we have already eaten

before we knew about this. What about anyone who is pregnant? What are the

likely effects on unborn children?

I applaud the Observer for reporting on this, and ask the paper to launch a

full-scale investigation on behalf of your readers who are trying to produce

our own food. Hold Dow to account, and don't rest until all our questions are

answered.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192758, was written by

Herbali, at June 29, 2008 2:47 PM, and starts with We are a small co-operative

and

were delighted to have our first poly-tunnel, in which we built rais)

snick

Comment No. _1192769_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192769)

_June 29 14:57_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192769)

Our community gardening program is very strict on what we can bring into the

plots, but it is clear that policy is not so easily enforced. How can one

know for certain that manure or even compost is " clean " ? Apart from using one's

own composted garden waste, unless you have access to manure of known

origin, the corporate profiteers at Dow and MonSatan will insinuate their

products

into the ecosystem. What I wouldn't give to put their ilk out of business! We

don't need them.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192769, was written by

snick,

at June 29, 2008 2:57 PM, and starts with Our community gardening program is

very strict on what we can bring into the plots, but it is clear)

gazpacho

Comment No. _1192831_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192831)

_June 29 15:49_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192831)

Great article and comments.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192831, was written by

gazpacho, at June 29, 2008 3:49 PM, and starts with Great article and

comments.)

glallotments

Comment No. _1192861_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192861)

_June 29 16:10_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192861)

Someone conatcing our website suspects a bag of compost bought for an

internet supplier. When investigating the supplier said the main component in

the

compost was grass!!

PDS told us that our manure may have been affected by herbicide sprayed in

2006.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192861, was written by

glallotments, at June 29, 2008 4:10 PM, and starts with Someone conatcing our

website suspects a bag of compost bought for an internet supplier. When invest)

glallotments

Comment No. _1192870_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192870)

_June 29 16:16_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192870)

The manufacturers warnings are bold and clear (if you read them it seems

incredible that anyone actually buys the stuff!) but it seems that information

gets lost in the chain of supply. The person who applies the chemical can't

miss the warnings.

_http://www.dowagro.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_00c1/0901b803800c1a23.pdf?filep

ath=/uk/pdfs/noreg/011-01477.pdf & fromPage=GetDoc_

(http://www.dowagro.com/PublishedLiterature/dh_00c1/0901b803800c1a23.pdf?filepat\

h=/uk/pdfs/noreg/011-01477

..pdf & fromPage=GetDoc)

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192870, was written by

glallotments, at June 29, 2008 4:16 PM, and starts with The manufacturers

warnings

are bold and clear (if you read them it seems incredible that anyone actu)

demeter

Comment No. _1192903_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192903)

_June 29 16:41_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192903)

In investigating this for our allotments, I've been in touch with another

site that was first affected in 2007 and their crops are still damaged this

year by the initial application of contaminated manure.

I've heard, but not personally verified, that local council compost is to be

avoided because Parks and Gardens Depts use this stuff and the grass

cuttings are composted.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192903, was written by

demeter, at June 29, 2008 4:41 PM, and starts with In investigating this for

our

allotments, I've been in touch with another site that was first affect)

gardener1

Comment No. _1192929_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192929)

_June 29 17:05_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192929)

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192931)

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192932)

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192943)

Thankyou Observer for your article- my potatoes are affected, and we went

straight up to the farm where we got the manure! The farmer looked at the spray

he had used and sure enough...

So where do we go from here? How can we make sure this stuff is banned?

Obviously people supplying manure are not complying with the recommendations on

the pesticide tin.

Incidentally, I live in Scotland- I notice your article only mentioned

England and Wales.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1192943, was written by

gardener1, at June 29, 2008 5:15 PM, and starts with Thankyou Observer for your

article- my potatoes are affected, and we went straight up to the farm wh)

gardener1

Comment No. _1192945_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192945)

_June 29 17:16_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1192945)

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193046)

Composted green waste from the Council SHOULD be free of this herbicide.

I've been using this material for a long time with no ill effects. The problem

is, that anyone can tip any sort of green waste into the bins at the recycling

centre, so all sorts of nasties can end up there. But only amateur gardeners

can use these areas so in theory such heavy duty products won't enter the

waste stream this way.

The contractors who compost green waste material should have test data

regarding pathogens - but I doubt that they will test for a herbicide at this

level.

Pandora's box has been well and truly opened.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193046, was written by

maggib1943, at June 29, 2008 7:35 PM, and starts with Composted green waste

from the

Council SHOULD be free of this herbicide. I've been using this materi)

flagrant

Comment No. _1193075_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193075)

_June 29 20:44_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193075)

As regards pesticides of any description, they have all, over time, been

shown to be dangerous despite what the manufacturers say. The latest batch of

agri chemicals will over time be shown to be far more harmful than the chemical

corporations say. I remember in my anti gm crop trashing days , attending a

meeting with a representative from Monsanto who claimed that Glyphosate was

no more dangerous than table salt. When challenged to drink the equalivalent

of half a teaspoon of his poison he declined. The manufacturers of these

chemicals are all highly intelligent chemists, the labels they by law have to

put

on their products state the many dangers associated with the normal

application of the chemicals. However profit and career advancement matters more

to

them than being good and improving the world. They wrap their profiteering up

in spin about " feeding the world " , and say that to challenge their methods is

imorral and sentacing people to starvation. They dwell in a world of greed, if

they were intent on doing real good they would divert their £.millions into

developing a better understanding of soils, and doing some sensible

sustainable plant breeding that works in tune with nature, rather than

providing more

money for their fat cat overlords.

The solution? Well we basically need a revolution. One that takes power from

the corporations and gives it back to governments. In tandem with this we

need a propper system of accountability within government. When Britain was

asked for its opinion on the GM debate we stated clearly, as a nation that we

were against it in all forms. Our democratic? government is letting GMO's

through the back door as we speak.

As individuals all we can do is turn our backs on our corporate would be

masters, they do us no favours. Ignore their adverts, ignore their products, try

to source all products locally, directly from the producer, change our

economy from one that gives profit to big business, to one that provides a

living

for our neighbours. None of this helps those with poisoned veg patches, but it

would be a start.

We dont need the corporate green " revolutions " , start our own green

revolution, then maybe humans and nature can go back to living in harmony with

one

another again.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193075, was written by

flagrant, at June 29, 2008 8:44 PM, and starts with As regards pesticides of

any

description, they have all, over time, been shown to be dangerous despi)

CeeMe

Comment No. _1193079_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193079)

_June 29 20:52_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193079)

While not immediately affected by the release of this toxic chemical, as

someone who buys and grows organic food, I'm horrified the Dow is allowed to

sell this chemical in Britain. Since its movement through the food chain cannot

be controlled, it should be banned immediately, no ifs, ands, or buts.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193079, was written by

CeeMe,

at June 29, 2008 8:52 PM, and starts with While not immediately affected by

the release of this toxic chemical, as someone who buys and grows)

LeonC

Comment No. _1193080_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193080)

_June 29 20:54_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193080)

When I read this article about tainted soil the word Bhopal immediately came

to mind.

The contamination of gardens and allotments of the UK is so disgusting that

someone/s at Dow UK should publicly and very visible fall on their sword/s.

And Mr Brown, don't even think the GM word! Or any other PM that wants to go

GM for that matter!

Dow, Monsanto, they are all the same, they seem to have no moral or ethical

responsibility for their actions when they go wrong. All they can think of

doing is side stepping and PRing.

If we live in a really civilized society real accountability has to be seen

to be done.

LeonC

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193080, was written by

LeonC,

at June 29, 2008 8:54 PM, and starts with When I read this article about

tainted soil the word Bhopal immediately came to mind. The contamin)

Rebsie

Comment No. _1193101_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193101)

_June 29 21:55_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193101)

An immediate voluntary withdrawal is called for, with a follow-up total ban

ASAP. But prepare to watch Dow squirm in every conceivable direction to avoid

accepting liability. As others have said, it is a scandal.

As a breeder of vegetables who has mercifully escaped any damage for the

moment (though I do use manure) I find it heartbreaking to see people losing

the

crops they've lovingly raised. Things grown in gardens and allotments have

an emotional investment in them and are way more than just 'produce'. Some of

us grow heirloom varieties which are irreplaceable.

Dow are morally responsible, and their board should be paraded through the

streets in shame and have their bottoms thrashed with stingy-nettles until

they promise to make amends for their loathsome product.

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193101, was written by

Rebsie,

at June 29, 2008 9:55 PM, and starts with An immediate voluntary withdrawal

is called for, with a follow-up total ban ASAP. But prepare to wat)

Kepler

Comment No. _1193328_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193328)

_June 29 23:44_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193328)

Going back to the original question: who's to blame?

The USSR government.

Duh!

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193328, was written by

Kepler,

at June 29, 2008 11:44 PM, and starts with Going back to the original

question: who's to blame?The USSR government. Duh!)

Kepler

Comment No. _1193329_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193329)

_June 29 23:45_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193329)

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193357)

We have a field, which a contractor sprays once a year to rid it of the

weeds (some of which are toxic to stock) that would otherwise overwhelm it, or

overwhelm us in trying to remove them by hand. Last year, he told us that the

new stuff he was using was much more effective - we soon noticed that indeed it

was. We've put our sheep's muck, and that of a friend's pony who also lives

there, on a muck-heap for some time, and then let it rot it down. The muck

heap then goes into the soil where we grow tomatoes in the greenhouse. The hay

we feed the sheep on in the winter has probably also been sprayed with the

same stuff. Funny, we thought it was all rather sustainable.

This year, we could not figure out why our tomatoes have curled and clubbed

leaves, and are so thin and weedy. Everything else in our veg garden is fed

by " heap " compost, and is fine. No-one seems to know - most years, we have a

glut, and the plants by now would be in full flowering glory.

I chanced across the article in today's paper, and on went a light in my

head. We can't blame our contractor for not passing on the most unlikely of

warnings, dependent upon an unlikely chain of events even if he knew what we

did

with the muck, no doubt hidden at the foot of some closely-typed user

instructions.

The funny thing was, this week we watched the film Michael Clayton on DVD.

It's about a lawyer who gets sick of defending a corrupt agri-chemical giant

that buried evidence that its fertiliser caused cancer in farmers. And no, we

won't be eating the few tomatoes that the plants have produced. And have you

ever tried rotorvating a greenhouse, as Dow suggest we do to break the stuff

down?

Yes, I'd be up for a class action, but my money's on Dow to shift the blame

onto the contractors, farmers and hay merchants for failing to heed the

printed warnings, and escape liability that way.

" As ye sow, so shall ye reap " ... ha!

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reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193357, was written by

RudyRude, at June 29, 2008 11:58 PM, and starts with We have a field, which a

contractor sprays once a year to rid it of the weeds (some of which are tox)

RudyRude

Comment No. _1193371_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193371)

_June 30 0:04_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193371)

Oh, heck, we eat the sheep as well. And the eggs from the hens that we keep

that roam the fields.

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html & bod\

y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193371, was written by

RudyRude, at June 30, 2008 12:04 AM, and starts with Oh, heck, we eat the sheep

as

well. And the eggs from the hens that we keep that roam the fields.)

trewyth

Comment No. _1193691_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193691)

_June 30 7:20_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193691)

Well said, Rabblerouser! (2nd posting). I urge everyone to read this and

then go on to do your own research into what is really happening in the world.

Unfortunately the nearest any comment like this gets to the mainstream media

is in a blog such as this. The MSM is actually part of the problem!

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html & bod\

y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193691, was written by

trewyth, at June 30, 2008 7:20 AM, and starts with Well said, Rabblerouser!

(2nd

posting). I urge everyone to read this and then go on to do your own r)

rosyglow

Comment No. _1193702_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193702)

_June 30 7:40_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193702)

No story has angered me as much as this one. That these people who have

'farmed' according to their conscience, spending money and time and all that

hard

work to grow some of their food should be cheated like this is nothing short

of tragic. However, don't expect Dow to take any responsibility, they'll

wiggle out of it.

Apart from the residue of chemicals getting into the food chain people have

to make the stuff; what sort of long-term problems might they encounter?

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html & bod\

y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193702, was written by

rosyglow, at June 30, 2008 7:40 AM, and starts with No story has angered me as

much

as this one. That these people who have 'farmed' according to their)

leglise

Comment No. _1193707_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193707)

_June 30 7:48_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193707)

does anyone use a lawn care company to de weed the lawn?.....and what do you

do with the compost?

I will check with mine today!

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

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y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193707, was written by

leglise, at June 30, 2008 7:48 AM, and starts with does anyone use a lawn care

company to de weed the lawn?.....and what do you do with the compost?I)

frog2

Comment No. _1193745_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193745)

_June 30 8:36_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193745)

AMINO PYRA LID

I cut the word in three to make it more memorisable... when I transmitted to

gardening friends here in france. Our government has a pesticides

observatory site, with " aminopyralid " on it, , now need Excel to read ...

Spread the word, everybody .

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html & bod\

y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193745, was written by

frog2,

at June 30, 2008 8:36 AM, and starts with AMINO PYRA LID I cut the word in

three to make it more memorisable... when I transmitted to garde)

Terran

Comment No. _1193757_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193757)

_June 30 8:47_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193757)

These might be possible avenues to explore with respect to mitigating

exposure to agricultural or other chemicals.

Mycoremediation

_http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/mycova.html_

(http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/mycova.html)

Bioremediation With Effective Microorganisms

_http://www.emamerica.com//index.php?option=com_content & task=blogcategory & id=1

37 & Itemid=199_

(http://www.emamerica.com//index.php?option=com_content & task=blogcategory & id=137\

& Itemid=199)

_http://www.go-emco.co.jp/en/agents/_ (http://www.go-emco.co.jp/en/agents/)

I am not an agent of, or affiliated with either of these companies.

Terran

Offensive? Unsuitable? _Report this comment._

(food.blog.help?subject=A problem with

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html & bod\

y=Please tell us the problem. For our

reference, internally this comment is known as Number 1193757, was written by

Terran,

at June 30, 2008 8:47 AM, and starts with These might be possible avenues to

explore with respect to mitigating exposure to agricultural or ot)

bigshod

Comment No. _1193776_ (http://

blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#comment-11\

93776)

_June 30 9:03_

(http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/06/mutant_vegetables_whos_to_blam.html#co\

mment-1193776)

Action is certainly required. If a product such as this is so persistent

that it can last for up to two years in waste and is virtually untraceable to

source and undetectable until it is too late, users of manure can no longer

rely on their traditional source of soil enrichment. In the West Midlands area

of north Birmingham, Walsall and Sandwell there have been many allotment sites

affected by manure from a usually reliable source, but this year crop

failure has been widespread due to poisoning from herbicide residues.

Official bodies such as DEFRA and the Pesticide Safety Directorate, as we

have found from our contacts with them, sit on their hands. We have been advised

to contact our local Environmental Health Ofice. We have, with varying

degrees of success, but they have not the resources to investigate the matter

properly.

We need a coordinated attack on this problem, first to establish the size of

the problem, then to campaign to raise public awareness and finally to push

whoever we can to get this poison isolated and even banned. One of our

gardening umbrella groups may take this on? RHS, Garden Organic, NSALG? Could

Prince

Charles be Patron of our cause?

Is it true that we are the first European country to use it? Have there been

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