Spraying Roundup

Stateofyou

No farming background at all, hoping people here can shed some light. My family live fairly rurally. There are many families living on our road, 4 families all together on either side of us and many more further along the road. On the other side of our road is a field that always has sheep in it. Next to that one and behind it there are sometimes cows in those fields. There are no crops being grown or harvest of any kind. The farmer has permanently hung signs from his gates on either end of the fields that says "lands poisoned." He was asked what that meant and the reply was "to keep the dogs out." :rolleyes: I replied that the dogs must very clever to read his signs...he laughed and I never got any other answer. Neighbours are also a bit concerned about this but no-one seems to know what it's about.
Two days ago my wife and I were working in our front garden and the guy comes up with his tractor and starts spraying something outside his gate and along the hedge/grass up his side of the road. It's quite windy then and blowing our direction so my wife gets freaked out and wants us to go inside suspecting he is spraying toxic chemicals that's now essentially blowing in our faces. As we're going in the farmer comes over to me to say he's spraying Roundup to control the weeds from his field. Short conversation with him- he tells me he's probably doing his last spray as the government may be cracking down on it's use next year. I tell him I hear it's awful stuff and bad for the environment, bees, etc and ask him why he's spraying the side of the road, why not just leave it, etc. He only says it's to control the weeds, and we pretty much park it there.
I later looked up why roundup is used in farming (for crops) and also that sheep can eat weeds. So I'm very confused as to why he needs to use roundup at all seeing as he's not growing anything and the sheep can apparently eat weeds anyway.
So what's the story with the roundup use, and on the side of the road, can anyone tell me? Not sure if he actually sprays the field as I haven't seen him doing it but I'm guessing the weird signs have a connection.
My wife has had a mild sore throat since the following day and she's wondering if it wasn't from breathing in that ****e he was spraying near us...

Bass Reeves

I say he was winding you up. It was probably only distilled water in the sprayer

Stateofyou

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I say he was winding you up. It was probably only distilled water in the sprayer

Our neighbour had a small confrontation with him last year though. When asked why he was spraying outside the gate and what it was he told her he was spraying roundup. She was worried about the runoff into her well and he told her something along the lines of, well no one ever cared before. I think we all got a bit concerned once the signs went up so that was the start of it.

Bass Reeves

You probably need life insurance

Birdnuts

This kind of nonsense is why Roundup could be banned by the EU for sale in many outlets in the near future - miles of roadside hedges and banks have been destroyed by this destructive practice of pointless and excessive spraying. It looks awfull, destroys wildlife and encourages destructive invasive species like Knotweed, Horsetail etc. Sadly it also shows how far we still have to go when it comes to educating a significant amount of landowners in regards to such matters

Stateofyou

Bass Reeves wrote: »

You probably need life insurance

Already sorted, but thanks pal. Super helpful.

_Brian

Drive the roads and you see plenty of examples of people spraying verges outside their property.
It’s stupid, bad for the environment and looks just awful.

Homeowners and farmers alike.

The silly thing is a nice grass verge when sprayed off just grows a bunch of taller weeds blocking sight lines even worse.

Tileman

Poison laid signs are usually to deter owners letting their dogs into fields especially if there are sheep there. Quite common to put up for fields near urban areas as allot of people assume they have a right to roam their digs there.

Mostly harmless and no poison laid but on occasions there can be .

roosterman71

I've those poison signs up too and no spraying done. They are there years to deter the townies with no land of their own from going in walking and letting dogs loose.

Dinzee Conlee

As above - lands poisoned signs are there to keep people with dogs out mainly.

As for the roundup - it’s not great practice, but it’s very doubtful it did you or your wife much harm. Overuse of herbicides can cause water issues, but again if he only spraying a small bit of ditch, I wouldn’t say it would do much harm if any to your water...

In short - I would say don’t worry about. Live your life, let the other man live his...

Mad_maxx

local pig rents five acres right beside our house , this prince sprays his winter barley four times not including the roundup spray pre ploughing , hes forever spraying , sprayed three days ago and two weeks before that , i asked him last year to give me a heads up when hes spraying as there are no hedges where i live and our four year old is machinery mad , if he hears a tractor , he runs out to see it , he also has asthma which i told the thick c u next tuesday

anyways your man grunted when i asked him to send me a text and pretended to take down my number but complained about no coverage , he hasnt once pre warned us that he is spraying to date this year

if i thought it would do any good , id report him to the HSE , department of agriculture or any other state body but will probably have to wait until the poisonous stuff is banned by the EU

some people just have no consideration for others whatsoever

Capercaillie

Tileman wrote: »

Poison laid signs are usually to deter owners letting their dogs into fields especially if there are sheep there. Quite common to put up for fields near urban areas as allot of people assume they have a right to roam their digs there.

Mostly harmless and no poison laid but on occasions there can be .

Laying of poison, except for covered bait for rodents, is illegal.

Waffletraktor

Mad_maxx wrote: »

local pig rents five acres right beside our house , this prince sprays his winter barley four times not including the roundup spray pre ploughing , hes forever spraying , sprayed three days ago and two weeks before that , i asked him last year to give me a heads up when hes spraying as there are no hedges where i live and our four year old is machinery mad , if he hears a tractor , he runs out to see it , he also has asthma which i told the thick c u next tuesday

anyways your man grunted when i asked him to send me a text and pretended to take down my number but complained about no coverage , he hasnt once pre warned us that he is spraying to date this year

if i thought it would do any good , id report him to the HSE , department of agriculture or any other state body but will probably have to wait until the poisonous stuff is banned by the EU

some people just have no consideration for others whatsoever

I dont think you've learned much from last year then.

Mad_maxx

Waffletraktor wrote: »

I dont think you've learned much from last year then.

oh i have , ive learned that for some people , doing a simple favour for a neighbour is painful

Birdnuts

Tileman wrote: »

Poison laid signs are usually to deter owners letting their dogs into fields especially if there are sheep there. Quite common to put up for fields near urban areas as allot of people assume they have a right to roam their digs there.

Mostly harmless and no poison laid but on occasions there can be .

As others have mentioned, that has been illegal for 10 years now, but as you say some signs are still left up to deter dog owners in some places

Dinzee Conlee

Capercaillie wrote: »

Laying of poison, except for covered bait for rodents, is illegal.

Letting your dogs roam and kill sheep is illegal too... but that doesn’t seem to bother a lot of dog owners...

Birdnuts

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Letting your dogs roam and kill sheep is illegal too... but that doesn’t seem to bother a lot of dog owners...

Yes - and thats why you are legally entitled to shoot them.

Dinzee Conlee

Mad_maxx wrote: »

oh i have , ive learned that for some people , doing a simple favour for a neighbour is painful

We have barley in a field beside the house as well, and like you - it gets sprayed a few times...

I find you’d nearly always hear the tractor going, so could get the kids in when it is being sprayed...
I would also say though, that any time I have seen the spray go on, the drift looks almost nill.
Now, I know it could just be invisible and still being carried, so I guess that why we bring the kids in for the 20 mins or so he is spraying.

100% it would be good if they gave you a heads up, but I think relying on them to do so isn’t the best plan.

Then, there is the other side - if he texts you 9 times, and just forgets the 10th time, for whatever reason - would you say no bother, or would you be up there shouting at him?
See, he might not want to end up in a situation where he is almost seeking permission to spray his own crop.

Mad_maxx

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

We have barley in a field beside the house as well, and like you - it gets sprayed a few times...

I find you’d nearly always hear the tractor going, so could get the kids in when it is being sprayed...
I would also say though, that any time I have seen the spray go on, the drift looks almost nill.
Now, I know it could just be invisible and still being carried, so I guess that why we bring the kids in for the 20 mins or so he is spraying.

100% it would be good if they gave you a heads up, but I think relying on them to do so isn’t the best plan.

Then, there is the other side - if he texts you 9 times, and just forgets the 10th time, for whatever reason - would you say no bother, or would you be up there shouting at him?
See, he might not want to end up in a situation where he is almost seeking permission to spray his own crop.

well he would need to text once before id give him a pass for forgetting the tenth time , if someone gives a sh1t about their neighbours health and well being , they wont forget

when you ask someone for a heads up about something like this and they dont do it , thats a beligerent act , the message is they dont like you and will not show good will , asking them again would only produce the same outcome

not much i can do about it , eventually the EU will crack down on this toxic practice , sooner the better

Waffletraktor

Mad_maxx wrote: »

well he would need to text once before id give him a pass for forgetting the tenth time , if someone gives a sh1t about their neighbours health and well being , they wont forget

when you ask someone for a heads up about something like this and they dont do it , thats a beligerent act , the message is they dont like you and will not show good will , asking them again would only produce the same outcome

not much i can do about it , eventually the EU will crack down on this toxic practice , sooner the better

Ignorance is bliss i guess, imagine the arrogance of someone going about their work without asking your permission to do so.

enricoh

Sod that, next u'd be getting texts that the kids are asleep by 7.30 at night and leave it til the morning!

Mad_maxx

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Ignorance is bliss i guess, imagine the arrogance of someone going about their work without asking your permission to do so.

what could be more arrogant than being indifferent to damaging the health of others ?

anyway no one asked anyone to desist from spraying , they simply asked for a heads up so as to get windows closed , vents closed and children in , of course you know all that already

Mad_maxx

enricoh wrote: »

Sod that, next u'd be getting texts that the kids are asleep by 7.30 at night and leave it til the morning!

so its an unreasonable request ?

asking someone to let you know when they are spraying a dangerous substance right next to your house , where your children are playing and who have a condition ( asthma ) which is agrivated by pesticides

Stateofyou

How much does it cost for this spray? I just don't understand what his rationale even is. He's spraying the side of the road outside his gate and around his field in which he's keeping sheep. Assuming he's not spraying his field because the sheep are still there and wouldn't it also kill the grass? And the sheep can eat weeds anyway (or so I read). So what's the actual motivation for spending his money and time doing this crap. I also would have appreciated a heads up he was going to be spraying. At one point he was only a few feet away from me directly across the road. First thing he said to me after mentioning it was "it's only roundup it's not going to kill you." I think he took in the fact my wife was practically running in and shouting behind her for me to hurry up as well, maybe he heard I don't know. He clearly doesn't care about his own health nor anyone else's. Luckily the kids and dog were inside at the time.

Tileman

Stateofyou wrote: »

How much does it cost for this spray? I just don't understand what his rationale even is. He's spraying the side of the road outside his gate and around his field in which he's keeping sheep. Assuming he's not spraying his field because the sheep are still there and wouldn't it also kill the grass? And the sheep can eat weeds anyway (or so I read). So what's the actual motivation for spending his money and time doing this crap. I also would have appreciated a heads up he was going to be spraying. At one point he was only a few feet away from me directly across the road. First thing he said to me after mentioning it was "it's only roundup it's not going to kill you." I think he took in the fact my wife was practically running in and shouting behind her for me to hurry up as well, maybe he heard I don't know. He clearly doesn't care about his own health nor anyone else's. Luckily the kids and dog were inside at the time.

Well sheep don’t eat all weeds do not sure where u got that one from. For e.g docks thistles etc. But if it was round up he wouldn’t be spaying that in a field with sheep in it .

Mad_maxx

Stateofyou wrote: »

How much does it cost for this spray? I just don't understand what his rationale even is. He's spraying the side of the road outside his gate and around his field in which he's keeping sheep. Assuming he's not spraying his field because the sheep are still there and wouldn't it also kill the grass? And the sheep can eat weeds anyway (or so I read). So what's the actual motivation for spending his money and time doing this crap. I also would have appreciated a heads up he was going to be spraying. At one point he was only a few feet away from me directly across the road. First thing he said to me after mentioning it was "it's only roundup it's not going to kill you." I think he took in the fact my wife was practically running in and shouting behind her for me to hurry up as well, maybe he heard I don't know. He clearly doesn't care about his own health nor anyone else's. Luckily the kids and dog were inside at the time.

im informed by a reliable source that its arrogant to expect a neighbour to show consideration for the health of others , so what if people end up with damaged lungs over an extended period of time , preferable to a farmer having to press a few buttons on a phone

couldnt have that now

Gods Gift

Spraying around gateways like that needlessly, is the farmer equivalent of a dog marking his territory.

Stateofyou

Tileman wrote: »

Well sheep don’t eat all weeds do not sure where u got that one from. For e.g docks thistles etc. But if it was round up he wouldn’t be spaying that in a field with sheep in it .

I just googled 'can sheep eat weeds' and read through a few of the top results which said they could. It makes sense though that there may be some they wouldn't be able to. So is the farmer reasonable to spray around his field then to stop it getting in where the sheep eat or what? Can he not just cut it back or pull them instead, can't be too much surely?
I also read there are other non toxic solutions that could be used to kill weeds instead. So if he's not growing a huge crop why can't he look into that.

Dinzee Conlee

Stateofyou wrote: »

I just googled 'can sheep eat weeds' and read through a few of the top results which said they could. It makes sense though that there may be some they wouldn't be able to. So is the farmer reasonable to spray around his field then to stop it getting in where the sheep eat or what? Can he not just cut it back or pull them instead, can't be too much surely?
I also read there are other non toxic solutions that could be used to kill weeds instead. So if he's not growing a huge crop why can't he look into that.

Ah here...

Sheep don’t eat every weed, yes they will eat some. You might as well google ‘can people eat weeds’

The farmer could pull or cut every weed, but that could be hugely time consuming and difficult. Plus, as soon as they are cut - they will start to grow back again. This is where spraying really pays.

The farmer can choose to deal with the weeds in his field - whether he uses organic spray or standard spray or asks the fairies to turn them into rainbows is really none of your business... it’s his business, his actual business - yes, farming is a business... it’s not something people in the countryside do to keep themselves busy...

Stateofyou

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Ah here...

Sheep don’t eat every weed, yes they will eat some. You might as well google ‘can people eat weeds’

The farmer could pull or cut every weed, but that could be hugely time consuming and difficult. Plus, as soon as they are cut - they will start to grow back again. This is where spraying really pays.

The farmer can choose to deal with the weeds in his field - whether he uses organic spray or standard spray or asks the fairies to turn them into rainbows is really none of your business... it’s his business, his actual business - yes, farming is a business... it’s not something people in the countryside do to keep themselves busy...

I literally conceded they couldn't eat every weed in my last post so that point has already been made.

How time consuming would it be to deal with weeds just on either side of his gate. He's not dealing with weeds IN his field as you put it, rather on the outside of his gate along the road. Thought that was made pretty clear. What is my business is the health of me and my family. Responsibly caring for the earth is all of our business. That's why there will be an intervention on this matter soon by the sound of things. Doing things on the the quick or cheap or 'this is what I've always done' doesn't make it right and justifying it because "business." Other businesses must follow best practices are constantly evolving to better practices. I don't see why farming gets a pass.

Must try getting the fairies to help, didn't think of that one. Thanks for the mature insight!

_Brian

Stateofyou wrote: »

I just googled 'can sheep eat weeds' and read through a few of the top results which said they could. It makes sense though that there may be some they wouldn't be able to. So is the farmer reasonable to spray around his field then to stop it getting in where the sheep eat or what? Can he not just cut it back or pull them instead, can't be too much surely?
I also read there are other non toxic solutions that could be used to kill weeds instead. So if he's not growing a huge crop why can't he look into that.

There’s a massive difference between “can” eat and what you actually want happening on the ground. Most lads quant sheep eating fresh grass to help thrive and milk for lambs. If they were starved of grass they may eat weeds but that’s not an ideal scenario.

Mad_maxx

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Ah here...

Sheep don’t eat every weed, yes they will eat some. You might as well google ‘can people eat weeds’

The farmer could pull or cut every weed, but that could be hugely time consuming and difficult. Plus, as soon as they are cut - they will start to grow back again. This is where spraying really pays.

The farmer can choose to deal with the weeds in his field - whether he uses organic spray or standard spray or asks the fairies to turn them into rainbows is really none of your business... it’s his business, his actual business - yes, farming is a business... it’s not something people in the countryside do to keep themselves busy...

It's very much his business when the practice is a health hazard to him and his family

Mad_maxx

Stateofyou wrote: »

I literally conceded they couldn't eat every weed in my last post so that point has already been made.

How time consuming would it be to deal with weeds just on either side of his gate. He's not dealing with weeds IN his field as you put it, rather on the outside of his gate along the road. Thought that was made pretty clear. What is my business is the health of me and my family. Responsibly caring for the earth is all of our business. That's why there will be an intervention on this matter soon by the sound of things. Doing things on the the quick or cheap or 'this is what I've always done' doesn't make it right and justifying it because "business." Other businesses must follow best practices are constantly evolving to better practices. I don't see why farming gets a pass.

Must try getting the fairies to help, didn't think of that one. Thanks for the mature insight!

no wonder farmer's struggle with the PR end of things?

Plough on stubbornly thinking only they are right, bound to win friends

Gods Gift

You’ve more of a chance of been injured by a polar bear in Ireland than a farmer spraying a bit of roundup around a gateway.

howsshenow

I think poster that you can by now see the Pro farmer overtones on Boards.ie from the replies you have received.
You and the later poster are absolutely right to raise your concerns. Unless you own the roadside I am not sure what you can do.
Meanwhile tune in to RTE for Zero carbon farming fake news.

Gods Gift

Farmer bias on the farming and forestry forum.
Well I never.

Mad_maxx

Gods Gift wrote: »

You’ve more of a chance of been injured by a polar bear in Ireland than a farmer spraying a bit of roundup around a gateway.

Which science book did you pluck that fact from?

hrcbob

I see this as a no win situation for your farmer neighbour.
What are his actual options.?
1. Cut hedges and verges in the allowable periods and let them get overgrown the rest of the year?
2.Cut them all year round and risk heavy fines?
3. Spray them off to keep growth down and the road visibility good for the year?
4. Do nothing at all and let road safety suffer?

I see none of these being acceptable to the op.
Some people just shouldn’t live in a rural environment.

Also roundup is not all that toxic
From wiki

12] Independent scientific reviews and regulatory agencies have regularly concluded that glyphosate-based herbicides do not lead to a significant risk for human or environmental health when the product label is properly followed.[13]

Mad_maxx

hrcbob wrote: »

I see this as a no win situation for your farmer neighbour.
What are his actual options.?
1. Cut hedges and verges in the allowable periods and let them get overgrown the rest of the year?
2.Cut them all year round and risk heavy fines?
3. Spray them off to keep growth down and the road visibility good for the year?
4. Do nothing at all and let road safety suffer?

I see none of these being acceptable to the op.
Some people just shouldn’t live in a rural environment.

farmers dont get to ride roughshod over everyone else , they might want to but that day is gone

Yester

The farmer nextdoor to me has let his polar bears out for the summer. He assures me they are fine but I'm a bit nervous. Should I be worried?

hrcbob

Mad_maxx wrote: »

farmers dont get to ride roughshod over everyone else , they might want to but that day is gone

Who is he riding over?
He’s maintaining his own property that people would bitch and moan about if he didn’t!
As I said he can’t win.

Stateofyou

hrcbob wrote: »

I see this as a no win situation for your farmer neighbour.
What are his actual options.?
1. Cut hedges and verges in the allowable periods and let them get overgrown the rest of the year?
2.Cut them all year round and risk heavy fines?
3. Spray them off to keep growth down and the road visibility good for the year?
4. Do nothing at all and let road safety suffer?

I see none of these being acceptable to the op.
Some people just shouldn’t live in a rural environment.

Also roundup is not all that toxic
From wiki

12] Independent scientific reviews and regulatory agencies have regularly concluded that glyphosate-based herbicides do not lead to a significant risk for human or environmental health when the product label is properly followed.[13]

The hedges are cut as per usual with the rest of the hedge a couple km up & down the road. There isn't much hedge in front of his fields either, it isn't very long.There's one entrance and gate into the field. It's mostly ditch and grass with a bit of hedge to one side. The other entry is into the main yard area where there's a few old ruins so there's just stone wall/rubble there. It's a very small lane, so visibility or road safety would not suffer. And let's not get into the roundup isn't toxic bs. Of course it is. It's rural enough, but just outside a town and its more a neighbourhood than it is a farming area. I'd like to think we can all get on together pretty well and we have except this one thing. Which hasn't even really turned into a "thing." No need to get hysterical about where we're all living.

Mad_maxx

hrcbob wrote: »

Who is he riding over?
He’s maintaining his own property that people would bitch and moan about if he didn’t!
As I said he can’t win.

So the fella using the poisonous substance near a family home without any consideration is the victim here?

Gods Gift

Yester wrote: »

The farmer nextdoor to me has let his polar bears out for the summer. He assures me they are fine but I'm a bit nervous. Should I be worried?

They’re sheep.
You’ll be grand until they eat weeds that have been sprayed with roundup.

hrcbob

If roundup was as terrible as you make it out to be it would have been banned long before now. I agree it’s not the most friendly of substances but used as designed it poses no serious risk to you. If you see the farmer falling over and dying due to his far more prolonged exposure to it, then you might have something to start thinking about.

hrcbob

Mad_maxx wrote: »

So the fella using the poisonous substance near a family home without any consideration is the victim here?

Source for toxicity level?

Deliberate ingestion of Roundup ranging from 85 to 200 ml (of 41% solution) has resulted in death within hours of ingestion, although it has also been ingested in quantities as large as 500 ml with only mild or moderate symptoms.[16]

Are you guys doin shots of neat roundup or something??

Mad_maxx

hrcbob wrote: »

If roundup was as terrible as you make it out to be it would have been banned long before now. I agree it’s not the most friendly of substances but used as designed it poses no serious risk to you. If you see the farmer falling over and dying due to his far more prolonged exposure to it, then you might have something to start thinking about.

farmers arent known for their health and safety standards , most of all with regard their own health

lots of things that are toxic havent been banned , lobbying from vested interests or just economic interests prevented it

besides , in my own case , i just want a heads up when the spraying is being carried out so i can be sure the children are safely inside , windows are closed as well as vents

il approach the owner of the field soon enough and offer to buy it from them , of course if the farmer has a long term lease , thats little use

i was polite when i asked the farmer to just give me a heads up when spraying , didnt ask him to lend me a kidney, hes thick with me going back years for buying the house and two acres he himself had his eye on , he used to rent the field along with the rest of the farm , another party bought the bulk of the land ( sold in two lots ) and i bought the house and small paddock surrounding it

thats rural politics for ya

Mad_maxx

hrcbob wrote: »

Source for toxicity level?

Deliberate ingestion of Roundup ranging from 85 to 200 ml (of 41% solution) has resulted in death within hours of ingestion, although it has also been ingested in quantities as large as 500 ml with only mild or moderate symptoms.[16]

Are you guys doin shots of neat roundup or something??

your wasting your time working the land , you should be doing tours with tommy tiernan

hrcbob

Mad_maxx wrote: »

your wasting your time working the land , you should be doing tours with tommy tiernan

For reference it’s about 4 times more poisonous than alcohol in neat form and in use it’s diluted closer to 2% than the 4% pint of beer you buy.

The lethal dose of alcohol is 5 to 8g/kg (3g/kg for children)6 – that is, for a 60kg person, 300g of alcohol can kill, which is equal to 30 standard drinks (about 1 litre of spirits or four bottles of wine).

I still wouldn’t drink it but a bit of spray mist won’t kill me.
More risk of alcohol poisoning from hand sanitizer

Stateofyou

hrcbob wrote: »

If roundup was as terrible as you make it out to be it would have been banned long before now. I agree it’s not the most friendly of substances but used as designed it poses no serious risk to you. If you see the farmer falling over and dying due to his far more prolonged exposure to it, then you might have something to start thinking about.

I remember that Luxembourg has banned it as has Thailand and Vietnam. Not sure of others. Its use is regularly litigated and protested. Its being looked at here so says the farmer in question himself so there must be something in it.

The time to think or worry about it isn't when we're falling over dying and it's too late. :rolleyes:

krissovo

For those making sweeping statements about spraying and being poisoned etc. Have a look at this video as the farmer explains in very simple terms the chemicals thats sprayed on fields and when plus the controls in place. While its UK based it is similar here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9ZtNGBxwZI