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Several years ago the allotment where my sister has two plots was hit by a strange phenomenon. Many of the plots suffered a near total loss of crops. The crops had all grown well but as they matured the leaves had curled and the crops failed. At first some sort of blight was thought to be causing these failures. However it seems a supply of manure was to blame, all the plots using the manure had suffered the same failures. The cause was Aminopyralid Contamination.

The farmer who had supplied the manure had not used Aminopyralid but had brought in hay for the horses, it was this hay which was the likely source of contamination.

Aminopyralid is the active ingredient in herbicides such as Forefront, Pharaoh, and Banish made by Dow Chemicals. They are effective broad leaved herbicides, however the problem is the chemical residue left behind. This residue remains active and passes through the digestive tract of animals which have grazed on grass treated with Aminopyralid. It also remains active in the manure, unfortunately this manure often causes the Aminopyralid contamination where crops are grown on ground where the manure is spread.

Many people using herbicides containing Aminopyralid still seem unaware of the well documented problems and the fact that it can remain active in manure for a long time (anywhere between 1 - 4 years). If using these chemicals on grazing land you should make your customers aware that they are advised by Dow Chemicals as follows

“DO NOT, under any circumstance, supply this manure to 3rd parties and in particular not to gardeners or allotment holders.”

Also make your customers aware that fodder produced from grass treated with Aminopyralid can potentially cause the same contamination.



I had though that this type of contamination was no longer a problem, but sadly this appears not to be the case.

http://www.geologywales.co.uk/storms/summer-2011-aminopyralid.htm　

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/safe_use.asp?id=2926