ALLOTMENT holders in a village have been advised not to grow anything on their plots for a year after potential herbicide contamination.
Some plot holders on allotments in Church Street, Weedon, found certain crops fed with manure from a stables are growing in a strange and contorted way with deformed leaves.
The problem is caused by aminopyralid, a herbicide which targets weeds am
ong grass. It should be broken down in the soil but may remain in animal feed and affect certain plants if the manure is used as fertilizer.
Several crops grown by Fred Kay have been badly affected, as well as roses in his home garden fed with the same manure.
He said: “There’s about 15 people on the allotments, and eight of us have got the problem – and it’s the people who use the manure.
“It’s affecting my runner beans, potatoes, broad beans, tomatoes, and potentially my carrots.
“The manure comes from a stables which buys in straw and hay – they don’t know what chemicals are used on it.”
Mr Kay said he had taken advice from the Royal Horticultural Society and the herbicide manufacturer.
He explained: “We’ve been told not to eat any of the manured crops, even ones that don’t look affected. And we have to dig over the ground for a year, but not grow anything, to get the chemical to break down.
“I think this herbicide needs to be withdrawn and I’d advise other gardeners to use organic manure.”
A spokesman for the Department of Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “The Health and Safety Executive’s Pesticides Safety Directorate is investigating reports of damage to certain allotment crops to which farm manure has been applied, in order to determine whether it has been caused by residues of the herbicide aminopyralid.
“The suppliers of the herbicide have made clear that manure from animals that have been grazing on fodder or land treated with aminopyralid should not be used on certain crops and should not be sold to the public.
“The Environment Agency normally considers that manure is not a waste where it is used as a fertilizer.
“However, where a manure has been contaminated to the extent it is not suitable for use as a fertiliser for some crops, then it is considered to be waste. As such it cannot be spread on land without an environmental permit.”
If people are concerned about the impact on crops they have grown to eat they should contact the Foods Standards Agency on 020 7276 8829.
