You're a highly trained medic with a heart problem and you smoke @punkdoc? Really?
Don't be so judgemental for heavens sake - there are far worse addictions than tobacco and at least the govt here ( and elsewhere perhaps ? ) earns a good bit from it. How they use this revenue obviously depends on the country and it's government but it could certainly be described as "unearned income ". Whether it's used for the ultimate good of the country's population, we will never know but it's there and goes in "the pot"
As far as Monsanto are concerned, wasn't one of the issues raised some few years ago the fact that they were selling GA seed to farmers in 3rd world countries which could be used for 1 years crop only. Rather than in the past where the farmers saved their seeds and used them the following year ( as many of us here do ), they were then left with the only other option of buying yet more GA seed to produce a harvest.
Every time something like this comes up, the usual culprits jump on the bandwagon with great glee, posting I told you so!
When a newby or the like asks how to get rid of weeds or what fertilizer to use, instead of trying to honestly help, immediately the usual suspects fire away with, don't use chemicals or don't use peat, or plastics, or you should only use the no dig method and you should read Charles Downing as the world is coming to an end if you don't follow my instructions.
The easiest way for the worried from Woking is simply stop gardening then you will not put the world at risk and you might also save yourselves!
@raisingirl how many people do you , personally, know have ever had any illness diagnosed as being related to weedkillers generally, and glyphosate in particular? Any sense of perspective has been forgotten in this discussion.
I don't, personally, know anyone who has suffered from asbestosis. Or lung cancer. Or cirrhosis of the liver. My mother was convinced her cancer was caused by weed killer. She had no proof of that. Her oncologist thought it was most probably margarine. He couldn't prove that either. Hydrogenated fats have been widely restricted or banned though, which would back up his theory. For how many decades were we all told to eat margarine as much better for us because it's less fat than butter? And people do still believe that.
I am cynical about the capacity of business to tell the truth about the risks of its products - there's a well established pattern of outright denial until such time as the proof of harm becomes so overwhelming it cannot be disregarded.
I have no evidence that glyphosate is in any way harmful. There have been quite a few studies suggesting that Roundup is toxic, not necessarily because it contains glyphosate. As a weed killer, it doesn't work as well 'neat' and the other stuff they add are what causes the harm, or so the scientific theory goes.
Where commercial monopolies are concerned, I generally believe that absence of proof is NOT proof of absence. But such a policy cannot be legally enforced and the companies that make money from selling the product would challenge any ban based on a hunch. Which makes the OP interesting.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
For all those but the terminally blind/as in refuse to see we have known for decades that smoking is a major factor in poor health -heart disease, cancers etc so it is beyond my comprehension that any medic of whatever level of training would smoke @philippasmith2
Similarly, we also know that a diet high in roughage prevents many cancers and other health problems. Nearly £200m just to treat constipation! All the more reason to eat your greens and beans.
Glyphosate is an avoidable chemical. On Beechgrove recently Chris Beardshaw was shown scalping a newly acquired weed infested allotment and treating the weed stubs and any weed seeds with a flame thrower to stop the next generation of weeds. We shall be trying that method ourselves.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
On Beechgrove recently Chris Beardshaw was shown scalping a newly
acquired weed infested allotment and treating the weed stubs and any
weed seeds with a flame thrower to stop the next generation of weeds.
We shall be trying that method ourselves.
No joking have you seen the price of either paraffin or gas for the flame guns, it is incredibly expensive and not at all effective having seen one (gas) used on one of our allotments!
Ps Chris and George have lost all sense of perspective since Beechgrove restarted, the white radishes this week was incredulous and stupid!
In my generation of doctors, it was not unusual to smoke [ although most gave up ], most of us drank too much [ I am sure many still do ] and many took part in dangerous pursuits. Being a doctor does not make you a sensible human being, and in my case a life spent in Intensive care and war zones, the opposite is probably the case. Don't judge me on my personal choices, but on my value to you, if you need my skills.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
So true @Loxley. My generation grew up working 100 hour weeks, so when we weren’t working, we tended to play quite hard. Nowadays we treat young Drs much better, so they now lead much healthier lives.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
@Braidman we have a large plot with extensive gravelled areas that grow weeds like nobody's business. I tried all sorts of "acceptable" weed killers the first year we were here but there are always more seeds left to germinate as well as the perennial things and it gets a) expensive and b) dispiriting when it all goes green again after the first shower of rain.
One solution is to do a Beth Chatto dry garden in the chunky volcanic gravel zone but the other area is finer grey gravel on the drive and can't be planted. OH has taken to clearing it with a push-me pull-you hoe which takes days and is still temporary so next time I shall burn the cleared areas. It can't be much more expensive than weed killers and may be more effective.
@punkdoc I can see you needing a release after those long hours and stress but don't see why it has to be life threatening to you or those around you.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@wild edges thanks for your the link to your article. Food for thought.
I use a spot of glyphosphate gel on bindweed leaves. I don't have much bindweed so don't need much gel. I have no doubt that any use will shortly to be found harmful. The bindweed still comes back every year from both neighbouring gardens.
In the same way, I'm sure eating dairy and any meat is a disaster for global emissions but I currently still eat some meat (only from small scale, organic farms and nothing processed - re husbandry practices, nitrates and nitrites). It's the odd place of knowing a practice is not a good idea, not wise or helpful but I still do it for a while. I guess I'm figuring ways to phase things out and it's taking longer than it should, more and more limiting usage
Posts
As far as Monsanto are concerned, wasn't one of the issues raised some few years ago the fact that they were selling GA seed to farmers in 3rd world countries which could be used for 1 years crop only. Rather than in the past where the farmers saved their seeds and used them the following year ( as many of us here do ), they were then left with the only other option of buying yet more GA seed to produce a harvest.
My mother was convinced her cancer was caused by weed killer. She had no proof of that. Her oncologist thought it was most probably margarine. He couldn't prove that either. Hydrogenated fats have been widely restricted or banned though, which would back up his theory. For how many decades were we all told to eat margarine as much better for us because it's less fat than butter? And people do still believe that.
I am cynical about the capacity of business to tell the truth about the risks of its products - there's a well established pattern of outright denial until such time as the proof of harm becomes so overwhelming it cannot be disregarded.
I have no evidence that glyphosate is in any way harmful. There have been quite a few studies suggesting that Roundup is toxic, not necessarily because it contains glyphosate. As a weed killer, it doesn't work as well 'neat' and the other stuff they add are what causes the harm, or so the scientific theory goes.
Where commercial monopolies are concerned, I generally believe that absence of proof is NOT proof of absence. But such a policy cannot be legally enforced and the companies that make money from selling the product would challenge any ban based on a hunch. Which makes the OP interesting.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Similarly, we also know that a diet high in roughage prevents many cancers and other health problems. Nearly £200m just to treat constipation! All the more reason to eat your greens and beans.
Glyphosate is an avoidable chemical. On Beechgrove recently Chris Beardshaw was shown scalping a newly acquired weed infested allotment and treating the weed stubs and any weed seeds with a flame thrower to stop the next generation of weeds. We shall be trying that method ourselves.
Being a doctor does not make you a sensible human being, and in my case a life spent in Intensive care and war zones, the opposite is probably the case.
Don't judge me on my personal choices, but on my value to you, if you need my skills.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
My generation grew up working 100 hour weeks, so when we weren’t working, we tended to play quite hard.
Nowadays we treat young Drs much better, so they now lead much healthier lives.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
One solution is to do a Beth Chatto dry garden in the chunky volcanic gravel zone but the other area is finer grey gravel on the drive and can't be planted. OH has taken to clearing it with a push-me pull-you hoe which takes days and is still temporary so next time I shall burn the cleared areas. It can't be much more expensive than weed killers and may be more effective.
@punkdoc I can see you needing a release after those long hours and stress but don't see why it has to be life threatening to you or those around you.