Pesticide residues in manure may cause damage to plants
Regulatory Update: 15/2008
Issued: 16 June 2008
Background
We have received a number of enquiries from allotment users concerned about damage to their plants, particularly potatoes and beans, which have either failed to grow properly or, in some cases, have failed to grow at all. While there may be more than one explanation for such problems, we understand that in a number of cases, the allotments concerned have used manure which may contain traces of a herbicide called aminopyralid, which is found in products marketed by Dow AgroSciences Ltd.
If aminopyralid is present in the manure it is only likely to be present in small amounts. However, there may still be enough present to affect plants which are particularly sensitive to this substance. These include potatoes and tomatoes, peas and beans, carrots and lettuce, and related crops.
It should be noted that labels and technical literature of aminopyralid-based products do carry warnings and advice on manure management and avoiding risk to sensitive crops.
Action to take
Anyone who suspects that this might be the reason for their plants being affected should contact the person who supplied the manure. If possible you should try to confirm whether an aminopyralid product was used on any grass, hay or silage fed to the animals which produced the manure. You may need to trace the original source if the grass, hay or silage was obtained from elsewhere.
Contact details
If you are reasonably certain that aminopyralid or one of the following products - Banish, Forefront, Halcyon, Pharaoh, Pro-Banish, or Runway - was used, then you should contact Dow AgroSciences for further advice at ukhotline@dow.com.
This will help Dow AgroSciences Ltd. and the Pesticides Safety Directorate gather information on this issue.