Contaminated manure is still proving a problem for some growers. Photograph: Mulsanne/Flickr/Some rights reserved
Last summer, growers were alarmed by the contamination of manure with aminopyralid, a weedkiller used on pasture. Aminopyralid sales were suspended by Dow Chemical Company, the RHS and others dished out advice on how to deal with contaminated ground and the problem went away.
Or did it? The website Green Lane Allotments, which has been following the story from the start, has been hearing from lots of growers still experiencing problems with distorted crops as a result of dodgy manure. Worse than that, the government's Advisory Committee on Pesticides recently recommended that aminopyralid be re-approved for sale, admittedly provided a set of regulations are met (Green Lane Allotments have helpfully collated the relevant extracts from the ACP minutes here).
But many gardeners and allotmenteers are horrified at the news: allotmenteer and author John Harrison calls the move "stupidity of the highest order". John Shobbrook has set up a electronic petition on the Number 10 website calling for the aminopyralid ban to stay in force.
Meanwhile it seems that the key to dealing with a manure contamination problem is getting soil microbes to break down the aminopyralid. John Harrison some useful guidance on allotment.org.uk
and the Green Lane Allotments site has advice on what to ask your manure supplier before taking delivery of the brown stuff.
If in doubt, it's worth bearing in mind that lots of growers get by without any manure at all, relying instead on wormcasts, green manure, comfrey and the like.
Should aminopyralid remain banned? Are you having problems with contaminated manure? Share your experiences below.
