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Manure contamination update

Hi Everyone, It's a long time since I've been on the forum and it's reassuring to see there are so many familiar names still on here!

My hubbie and I have recently taken on a new allotment - a real adventure for us and a challenge to our mutual patience, negotiation and diplomatic skills - but that's another story!

The previous owner advised us against using manure as he said it has sometimes been contaminated with herbicides resulting in a number of allotments that have had to close because of it.

We have a fantastic source of well rotted manure from a local nursery but are concerned about using it and unable to confirm the provenance of the straw used to make it. When I've researched the problem on the net this seems to suggest that this has been a historical problem and it looks as though the herbicide in question has now been banned.

Can anyone enlighten me as to the current situation. Is manure now safe(r) to use?

Many thanks,

Curly Carly

Last edited: 01 October 2016 15:52:59

Posts

  • mac12mac12 Posts: 209

    What sort of manure is it? can't see any farmyard manure being contaminated like that  

  • Sorry Pansyface for my delay in getting back to this. Thanks for the links. I've scoured all the info I could find and, apart from possibly in Scotland, the problem seems to be old news.

    Mac12, the problem seems to have started when a new type of herbicide was used on hay crops that remained in the hay and straw and was passed through the animals in their faeces thereby contaminating manure. The herbicide didn't disintegrate remaining active and caused distortion in garden crops, some plants being more susceptible than others. Some commercially produced compost has also been contaminated.

    There don't seem to be any big scares recently so we've taken a chance and bought some very well rotted stuff from a local supplier, fingers crossed it'll be ok.

    'MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT THE MANUFACTUERS OF THIS STUFF DID WITH THEIR STOCKS WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THAT NOBODY IN THE FIRST WORLD WANTED IT.' Yes, scary thought there Pansyface!

    Last edited: 15 October 2016 22:19:21

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