slug&cabbage
Colin Myram exonerated gardeners of wrongdoing in their use of metaldehyde slug pellets, on Radio 4 Farming Today.
Gardeners’ use of metaldehyde slug pellets is not a concern because:
- gardens are not usually under-drained, so there is no drainage system taking water draining from gardens directly to aquifers
- gardeners tend to use slug pellets in the spring. The problem with metaldehyde in water is in the autumn
Metaldehyde is a selective pesticide used by gardeners to control slugs and snails. The slug pellets are usually blue coloured.
Some water companies have recently been finding traces of metaldehyde in the raw water they abstract from rivers or reservoirs and treat to produce drinking water. These traces are at levels above the European and UK standards set for drinking water. But the Health Protection Agency has confirmed that at the maximum level of metaldehyde detected in treated drinking water, the intake from drinking water would be well below the acceptable daily intake and therefore there would be no reason to expect adverse effects.
5inch-slug
A positive approach to slug control in the vegetable garden will involve several techniques, including metaldehyde slug pellets which are helpful in the spring when new plants are at risk from slugs.
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Often see a lot of hot air about MH pellets. Thanks for talking sense on the subject – roll my eyes evertime I read ‘beer traps/crushed egg shells’!
Comment by kevinincornwall — May 10, 2010 @ 8:45 am
Thanks Kevin
Slug pellets are one thing we would struggle to be without!
Best wishes
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg — May 10, 2010 @ 8:26 pm
A lifecycle approach would be useful — what is the industrial process used to make these pellets? Where do the raw materials come from? That is, it’s not sufficient to simply look at the use of a product, but how it is manufactured. I eat mostly organic food, not just because I want to avoid ingesting residues, but also because I don’t like the way these products are manufactured. Remember Bhopal.
You might feel ok about the use of petroleum products if you don’t believe climate change is happening, but current events in the Gulf of Mexico or the war on Iraq, etc. might change your opinion about using oil.
Comment by Carol — May 21, 2010 @ 6:56 am
Carol
Thanks for your comment – with food for thought. We have to have a wide view when looking at these things.
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg — May 21, 2010 @ 6:27 pm
Why not go with iron phosphate? It is supposed to be good for the soil even. You cannot eat many vegetables if metaldehyde products are used. I wish I would have known this before destroying my vegetable garden which was predominately kale and chard and green leafy vegies that the slugs loved. I was given a refund by the manufacturer but I lost a whole season of happy gardening. I didn’t have my glasses on when at the checkout to read the fine print. Buyer beware. It isn’t just harmful to dogs and children and slugs. It means no vegetable garden. It also contaminates the waterway. I shouldn’t have made the purchse.
Comment by Eileen — June 12, 2010 @ 9:13 pm