farmer spraying the fields.

Tue 15 Sep 2015, 22:35

Something amazing happened last week. California became the first major state in the US to label glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, as a chemical "known to cause cancer".

Fri 11 Sep 2015, 10:20

Farmers are severely restricted in what they can spray and when. Detailed records have to be kept of location sprayed, product used, wind direction, windspeed etc.

If you can find out who owns / farms the land and ask politely, he will probably tell you.

Thu 10 Sep 2015, 11:23

Roundup is harmful chemical (and it can't distinguish between humans, dogs or 'pests') like all the other chemicals used in intensive farming. There are fewer and fewer birds, bees, insects and small wild animals around here . Could it be deadly chemicals and the loss of natural habitat? I think so. The times I have seen dead dormice on the bridle paths is heartbreaking, to name just one type of casualty...

Wed 9 Sep 2015, 10:29

Monsanto's Roundup contains Glyphosates which the World Health Organisation thinks may be carcinogenic: see www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/21/roundup-cancer-who-glyphosate- or do a quick web search of Roundup health. I understand that it is banned from French garden centres.

Mon 7 Sep 2015, 19:32

Thank you for that information. I feel relieved by that news and did think that a notice would have been up if they had been harmful chemicals but as I had a very sore throat when returning from our walk I did wonder if I had missed a notice?

Mon 7 Sep 2015, 17:38

Good to hear that the chemical sprays used are completely non-toxic to animals. But experience suggests that if your garden borders a field that is being sprayed then you are likely to find a number of plants dying over the following few days after every spraying!

Mon 7 Sep 2015, 17:26

On the assumption that the field you were walking past was one of the many on the left when going up Woody Lane, I suspect it is likely the spray was Roundup to kill all the green weeds that are still growing in the bean field.

If that was the case there is nothing to worry about as Roundup is a herbicide which will kill the weeds but is completely non-toxic to animals.

I have no idea what the regulations are nowadays regarding notification of chemical use, but often you will see a notice board on the perimeter of a spray area with warnings of spray session times, and also telling you what is to be used.

Mon 7 Sep 2015, 16:52

Whilst walking my dogs and blackberry picking this afternoon, the farmer was spraying the fields where he has recently harvested the crop of black beans- Does anyone know what he is likely to be spraying please at this time of year and if this spray is likely to be harmful to both myself and my dogs?