Regulatory threats to seed exchanges and plant movements

[François Lambert]

Hello John, I think some of the problem with "green compost" i.e. collected garden waste, is that it includes woody material which is not broken down fine enough or composted for the required length of time. If it were I think it would be equally as good as other materials. I once suggested that there are two materials that people want to be rid of, sewage and straw.  Most straw is now chopped by an attachment on the combined harvester and ploughed into the soil. This is because there are less dairy herds so less winter bedding is required. Ploughing straw into the soil also encourages  slugs and slug pellets need to be spread on the fields. I was told that human sewage could not be used in Horticulture because it contains heavy metals. I wonder where the heavy metals came from before they got into the sewage? Composting sewage and straw would make a horticulture medium and recycle two problems in one go. We used to use animal waste to grow edible plants and still do. Human sewage is also "piped" into fields to grow crops. It is piped because people complained of the smell.

Most of the human sewage goes straight through the drain to the sea - eventually after having been cleaned up in a water treatment plant.  Using human sewage to fertilize crops is not such a good idea because it closes again the cycle of a number of gastric parasites.  Sewage may contain several poisons, but these will not originate from what we sent away in the toilet.  Using straw may sound a good idea - however it will over time decompose further to leave just a few % of it's original volume.  I use home made potting soil which is a mix of old potting soil enriched & amended with fresh compost (including straw that we use for bedding for the chickens).  After a few years a substantial part of the soil disappears in my pots, which is a very natural process.

Besides that, farmland has lost a lot of it's organic matter after horses were replaced by tractors and where using manure has been replaced by massive use of mineral fertilizers, leaving the soil getting more compact and crops more vulnerable.  We (the farmers) must revert this trend.  Farmers have targets on organic content of their farmland and can apply for subsidies to grow green manure crops like yellow mustard - at least it is so over here.

I have been experimenting with coir-based potting mixes and have mixed feelings.  Pure it is best suited for growing epiphyte plants but lacks some compactness for many other plants.  Mixed with my old potting soil however it does seem to make a very good substrate.  Now just wait for time to tell us how long it takes for the coir to decompose.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Francois, in England sewage is transported in large lorry tankers with the words, Low Hazard, on the back. The outflow from our local sewage works is liquid. The solids are collected by these road tankers. As a demonstration of the outflow purity someone from the water authority drank a glassful. I wonder if he is still OK.

[johnstephen29]

Rather him than me Ian, that reminds me of a certain Tory minister who had his daughter eat a beef burger in front of the camera's to prove beef was ok.

[Matt T]

I think he gave her a burger but she didn't actually eat it?

[johnstephen29]

Oh right, I remember it happening, did he eat his?

[Steve Garvie]

Rather him than me Ian, that reminds me of a certain Tory minister who had his daughter eat a beef burger in front of the camera's to prove beef was ok.

The right honorable John Selwyn Gummer MP!

He is now in the House of Lords ....so perhaps he did develop a form of Prion disease.

[David Nicholson]

The right honorable John Selwyn Gummer MP!

He is now in the House of Lords ....so perhaps he did develop a form of Prion disease.

Given that he will be able to claim (provided he's not paid a salary for any  HoL office) an allowance of £300 per sitting day he's obviously still got all his chairs at home

[Maggi Young]

Oh right, I remember it happening, did he eat his?

 They both chomped on their burgers ......   

[Matt T]

In the video she refuses it because it's 'too hot', and the one she's holding in the posed picture has enormous adult-sized bites taken out of it, which suggests an aide was perhaps force fed the morsel instead of Cordelia?

[johnstephen29]

Poor kid, nice name though, a lot better than Selwyn. reminds me of that character that the brilliant bill maynard played years ago, Selwyn Froggitt I think they called him. Heck i'm showing my age there 

[Maggi Young]

Robbie Blackhall-Miles' take on the  Nagoya Protocol on his Guardian blog :
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2015/jun/12/nagoya-protocol-plant-hunters-need-to-step-up-to-this-new-challenge

[Tim Ingram]

That is a good piece of writing about the Nagoya Protocol which I hadn't seen before, if you have faith in the good sense of the legislation and its implementation - i.e.: that it doesn't impose onerous restrictions on small, often local, specialist growers who in many cases will be those with significant knowledge and understanding of particular groups of plants. (There are good examples on this Forum!). But we have just visited Strasbourg, a city full of cultural and artistic heritage - and investment - and a strong intellectual and scientific tradition (plus by chance or not , the European Parliament and Legislature), and I was dismayed by the lack of resources and energy put into the Botanical Garden, even if this is relatively small and restricted in possible development. The basis of conservation is an understanding of ecology and diversity and Botany underpins this despite at times appearing an out of date and neglected branch of Biology and the Sciences. Botany and gardening are soul-mates because there is little point knowing about plants if you don't also grow them. The Chelsea Physic Garden, by comparison, carries on the practical traditions of observing and describing plants infinitely better in an area of similar size.

(Interestingly there was an exhibition at Strasbourg BG of plants that had been carved in the stonework of the Cathedral, compared to the living examples, which shows how closely plants have been observed in the past).

[Maggi Young]

"Call to attend RHS Nagoya Protocol meeting at Wisley
 New legislation is about to fundamentally change the way wild-collected plants make their way into horticulture; join us on 27 July to help formulate a response to the changes.
 

RHS Nagoya Protocol Statement
The Royal Horticultural Society is committed to following national laws where plants are collected and supports the conservation and ethical principles enshrined in the Nagoya Protocol.
However, we are also acutely aware of and share the concerns raised by other industry sectors on understanding what the practical implications and impact of the Nagoya Protocol legislation will be on the horticultural sector’s activities and businesses.

"Have your say

It is key that the response to the Nagoya Protocol is from across the horticulture sector and in collaboration with Defra and NMRO. The RHS, will therefore, over the next few months be engaging with key stakeholders from horticulture, Defra and National Measurement and Regulation Office (NMRO) to raise awareness on the Nagoya Protocol, to formulate a shared response and to work towards informing the process of ‘best practices’. This will include holding a meeting for those with concerns about or an interest in the Protocol and the legislation to share their views with Defra and the NMRO, and this will form the basis of how UK horticulture can respond constructively to the legislation.
 
This meeting will be held at RHS Garden Wisley on 27 July with representatives of Defra and NMRO being present. Those interested in attending this meeting please contact Laura Robins on scienceadmin@rhs.org.uk with your name and email address. "
 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/science-blogs/science/july-2015/nagoya-protocol

[Maggi Young]

John Grimshaw tweeted this picture and comment - about Robbie Blackhall-Miles' contribution to the discussion at Wisley yesterday:

"Robbie @fossilplants smoothing away some horticultural fears about the Nagoya Protocol @The_RHS today "

[Corrado & Rina]

Dear Maggie,

Do you know whether the videos of the meeting will be made available, or who in the RHS we should contact if we are professionally interested?

Best,

Corrado