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Found Wed Mar 3 2010
posted Tuesday,
August 5th, 2008
Poisonous
compost (manure) kills crops - it highlights school, but allotment
gardens seriously affected
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A school’s vegetable
plot is the latest victim to fall foul of a “killer compost” that is
continuing to wipe out crops across the Black Country.
Pupils from Old Park
Primary School in Wednesbury have been tending to fruit and vegetables for
eight years only for them to be destroyed by manure contaminated with a new
crop-killing herbicide. The plot is one of several at the Black Horse
Allotments in Wednesbury to have fallen victim, following a series of reports
from worried gardeners all over the region.
John Shobbrook, chairman
of the Sandwell Allotments Council, said allotment bosses would now be making
insurance claims of thousands of pounds and they feared the plots which had
been affected could be out of action for up to two years.
“Wherever the manure
has been put the damage is quite extensive,” he said.
“You would lose the whole section
of crops that you have planted if the manure went on. We are hoping to claim
on the farmer’s insurance. We have lost rent on the allotments for a year
now and maybe two, as well as whole crops of organic vegetables so that’s
about £1,000 to £1,500 for each plot affected.” The problems stem from a
strong batch of weed killer, which was introduced for farmers last year.
The herbicide is then
ingested by cows eating grass and works its way into manure, which is then
sold on to allotments around the country.
Batches of crops have
also been wrecked at Barnett Lane allotments in Kingswinford, as well as other
plots in Walsall and Wednesbury.
Black Country MPs
including Dudley South MP Ian Pearson and West Bromwich East member Tom Watson
have backed calls for more investigation into the growing problem.
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