Enviropositive

@JoeWStanley The overview of carbon loss and the need to restore soil carbon was great. The usual misleading stuff on chemicals and implicit suggestion that low intensity systems can feed 10 billion, not so much. Diversity is good but Ag tech will be required to meet the needs of man & nature

Surprisingly reasonable. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

@FrankAshwood We're here for the pics Frank!

@FarmersOfTheUK Great story. As well as helping keep the soil in the field and the carbon in the soil, min till supports below ground biodiversity. Not as sexy as bees but just as important.

Our farming system has changed in the last 10 years. We used to plough & plant everything. It's a very effective and reliable way of establishing a crop but it's time consuming, expensive & release organic matter from the soil. Something our sand is already lacking.

@TheroigneR @SparlingWill @FarmersOfTheUK Are you aware that there are many natural toxins produced by plants that are much nastier than glyphosate. The reason they generally don't harm you is because they occur at low levels and detoxified by your liver. Just like glyphosate.

@gardener_ap @1901gennelm @Farm3Dwithtrees Speaks someone who has no clue about the regulatory process. Read up on it you might learn something. The compound has been reviewed several times and found to be safe.

@Enviropositive1 @1901gennelm @Farm3Dwithtrees An incredibly ignorant response. What is legal is determined by current knowledge and politics (possibly other factors). Legal does not mean safe

Yesterday noted some v dry wheat being sprayed off -I guess before the combine goes in - is this a good look for the industry for bread wheat ? Discus

@Tim_kingsclere @Farm3Dwithtrees It doesn't accumulate. It's widely used and there are residues in feed. When the feed is eaten part of the residue that isn't broken down in the liver is excreted in urine. Modern analytical methods detect parts per billion of the compound. Effects at such low levels are unlikely

@Enviropositive1 @Farm3Dwithtrees That's good news where does it accumulate to then be present in human urine tests? Liver and kidneys?

@vickihird @TableDebates Could say the same for copper

@Enviropositive1 @TableDebates But no excuse for putting microplastics into soil and water environment - need another tool

bit of a shocker - #microplastics as delivery agent for fertilisers - serious ecosystem harm that should be banned - microplastics v bad for invertebrates etc tabledebates.org/research-libra… via @TableDebates

@Soulgear @ukeastcoast @Farm3Dwithtrees Don't confuse your opinion with facts. Come back when you've learnt some.

@Enviropositive1 @ukeastcoast @Farm3Dwithtrees nothing of what you said changes anything of what i said. might want to look over that.

@1901gennelm @Farm3Dwithtrees Why? There are lots of natural toxins in plants. It's the dose that matters. The question is whether the product is being legally used.

@Farm3Dwithtrees Spraying Glyphosate on to a crop that isn’t quite ripe will definitely cause residue in the grain ,any full bore farmer should admit it’s not a good idea , it shouldn’t be an argument on the toxicity of Glyphosate, it’s the fact that pesticide residue shouldn’t be in food .

@Soulgear @ukeastcoast @Farm3Dwithtrees Learn some basic toxicology. The dose makes the poison and it it makes no difference at all if the substance is natural or man made. Plants produce many toxins as part of their natural defence against being eaten.

@ukeastcoast @Farm3Dwithtrees poisening people is not a topic for a quiet word with the neighbour. this stuff causes serious health problems. its literal poison on peoples food.

@Tim_kingsclere @Farm3Dwithtrees Glyphosate is too polar to accumulate in fat.

@Farm3Dwithtrees I don't know how comfortable I am with the "not for human consumption" clause if it's for feed then does gly just accumulate in the fat of which ever animal eats it? I don't know the science on this... Maybe ethonol would be exceptional.

@UKSustain @BermondseyLady I suspect UK MPs know as much about pests and diseases in Australia as they do about parties. They have no idea what control measures are required.

⁦@BermondseyLady⁩ Sustain head of public affairs says: “Government appears to be trying to rush the UK-Australia deal through without giving parliament a chance to examine it properly. Ministers have questions to answer about all of this.” theguardian.com/politics/2022/…

@guardian Given that Australia has different weeds, different diseases and different insects why wouldn't it have different control measures?

UK trade deal with Australia amounts to ‘offshoring’ pesticide use, MPs warn #Echobox=1656597957" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">theguardian.com/politics/2022/…

@naturealexk @PlantEvolution @DeconinckKoen Organic certification also doesn't mean inputs are safe only "natural". The optimal system will be based on pragmatism and prepared to use works best for production and nature whatever its origins.

@PlantEvolution @DeconinckKoen Organic certification does not necessarily include landscape management or crop diversifications which are key drivers for biodiversity. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Fascinating paper: "We challenge the widespread appraisal that organic farming is the fundamental alternative to conventional farming for harnessing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes..." 1/ sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

@SoilAssociation @AwesideFarm Don't use copper?

@suepritch This is very misleading. All of the potential effects stated apply equally to natural chemicals found in food and those used as pesticides in organic systems. It is the level of exposure that determines the risk. This is basic.

@guardian The phrase "toxic to" means nothing. The bleach under your sink is toxic to you. That doesn't stop you using it safely. You manage your exposure by not drinking it.

Bee-harming pesticides exported from EU after ban on outdoor use theguardian.com/environment/20…

@TheSainsburyLab This is a bit disingenuous. If you believe the risks from gene editing have been exaggerated, do you not accept it is likely the risks from pesticides have been similarly exaggerated?

3\ The status quo in agriculture is not good. Agriculture today is on a chemical treadmill. Sure, agrochemicals are integral to controlling diseases and increasing crop yields, but we urgently need alternatives.

At The Sainsbury Laboratory, we are thrilled about the government's decision to facilitate access to gene editing technology. This long thread sums up our position ⬇️

@suepritch Just the small matters of already declining UK self sufficiency in food production and a still growing and increasingly wealthy world population to factor in.