On 28/11/2017 09:11, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 27 Nov 2017 22:29:24 +0000, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 27/11/17 20:54, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 27 Nov 2017 19:44:09 +0000, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 27/11/17 19:39, Martin wrote:
On Mon, 27 Nov 2017 18:52:36 +0000, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 27/11/17 07:17, Jeff Layman wrote:
Or should that be Groundhog day (again...)?

Looks like they've come up with the right (science-based) decision at last:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42135437

for another 5 years!

After that time France and Belgium will be under 2 metres of weeds, and
they'll be rushing to reinstate it there (if they can find their way
around...)!

They will just keep on using it even thought it is "banned".

Only if somebody actually enforces it. How old is the Dutch ban?

Is it a similar "ban" as this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dr-Stahler-danadim-Progress-Universal-insectizid-20-ml/282710942827?hash=item41d2e2a46b:g:4FAAAOSwImRYdN9 0

I can't buy dimethoate in the UK, but it seems to be available in Germany.

Even Amazon.de sells it

On sale in lots of places in NL for example
https://agriking.nl/danadimr-progres...ildluizen.html
There a lot of warnings in the advert. It is on the RHS withdrawn list.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=820#section-2

Seems quite a lot of the organophosphorous compounds have been withdrawn
- perhaps with good reason as they are nerve agents and rather toxic.

Some of them the more annoying pests have evolved a state of genetic
immunity that renders them almost useless. Red spider for instance.

Is it banned in UK? French attempts to get an EU ban have failed so far.

The Dutch have banned the use of Glyphosate by everybody except commercial
growers. The ban includes local authorities and amateur gardeners. There's none
on sale in garden centres. Our local authority has tried various alternatives
first steam, then a powered mechanical flail and more recently they have been
using a large powered mechanical rotary scrubbing brush to remove weeds from
pavements and brick surfaced roads (pave)

That is particularly silly since it is the use of glyphosate on a near
industrial scale by monoculture farmers of GM crops that is causing all
the problems. Glyphosate is astonishingly lethal to normal green plants
considering how benign it is towards other living things. The wetting
agents in commercial formulations are more toxic than the active
ingredient (which has an LD50 about the same as caffeine in coffee).

Used selectively against weeds in a garden it is by far the most
effective solution and much greener that trying to cook them with a
flamethrower or other "faux green" alternatives.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown