Unwanted Spray Drift: Don’t Suffer In Silence

I have ummmed and rrrrred about writing this post, but , I realise what is happening to us here on the block is also happening to others on their piece of paradise through no fault on their part.

I am talking about damage from unwanted spray drift and the repercussions when you ask nicely for your neighbours to be careful when spraying. I am talking about the lack of common courtesy, manners and generally being a good neighbour.

But, I want you all to know if you have suffered unwanted spray drift, you are NOT alone talk to us and we will support you, I promise you that.

Last year I had half my heirloom garden wiped out by a neighbour’s spray drift and he was being careful and spot spraying, but too close to our fence.

When I told him about the damage caused he was horrified and so was his wife and gave him a good telling off after they both came to inspect the dying mess of vegetables I was going to save precious seed from, some cultivars I have lost forever.

I went and asked the neighbour on the other side if he would be extra careful in light of the recent damage, so what does he do???

Waits a couple of days, until he thinks we are out, we usually both go out into town, but this time I had gone on my own, leaving Donna at home doing some work inside. And then comes happily along SPRAYING along the fence line bordering our land.

Donna was SO angry and disbelieving, that she ran out into the paddock and stood in shock as he turn quickly around and disappeared never to be seen agin that day.

After asking nicely AND offering to remove the weeds, thistles and invasive ink weed for him…That was last year, this year it’s over $1000’s worth of damage, and thats only to replacement value, so it was time to ask for official help…

First it was a plane dumping white powder into the gully next to my kitchen garden, then the next day, we returned home to find, the SAME neighbour spraying along the SAME fence line that he caused SO much damage from last year.

We rang Environment Waikato and they were great, a representative came out the next day, but of course it was too early to see the extend of the damage and we were unsure of the chemicals used.

We learnt that different chemicals cause different sorts of damage and that the Environment Department is short of funding, a soil sample for example costs over $900.

So we couldn’t go down that road, as neither Environment Waikato or myself has a few $900 sitting in the bank. We opted for the guy to talk with the neighbour concerned and explain what he is obliged to do by law, which is:

1) Give 12 hours notice of any proposed chemical spraying, this does not include lime, super phosphate or spot spraying and inform you of what chemicals etc they are using.

2 ) Not to come within 50m of our boundary.

3) Manage their spray drift.

4) Produce a spray management plan on request.

Guess what, NONE of these rules were KNOWN by our neighbours on either side, who by the way have been farming for YEARS, and I believe after all that time should have known better.

The result was instant, WE had broken the rules…the rules of being a good neighbour…don’t ask how I know this but this is what THEY said behind our backs in answer to Environment Waikato investigations:

1) We should have spoken directly to them, ummmmmm didn’t I do this the year before and got another dose of unwanted spray drift??

2) Shouldn’t go around putting up NO SPRAY notices on their land…Actually it’s council land, the grass verge next to the road.

And yes, I was told by the council worker who came by spraying the verge, if I didn’t want our verge sprayed, pop into the council offices and tell them.

We did and they came out the next day and put up the signs..we didn’t put them up, they are council property, and according to them, they have the right to put them where they like on their property.

3) We couldn’t do anything as we haven’t got photo’s of them in the plane, no but we do have photos…

4) They could say they informed us over the fence one day, that they were going to spray…no you didn’t.

5) We weren’t FARMERS and especially NOT organic ones…Thank the goodness for that, garden healer is how I look at myself.

I have transformed our paddocks WITHOUT a drop of poison…and I DON’T have one thistle or invasive ink weed this year, just lots of lush green grass.

What the neighbour on the other side of us told us:

1) You have to get on with your neighbours, especially living so far out of town….lets think about that..I AM the EMERGENCY NURSE with 15 years experience, I think it’s them that might need ME in an emergency as most serious injury happens in the home, don’t you think??

A conservative estimate, following a police re-enactment of a home invasion earlier in the year. It took them over an HOUR to get to our road, and they had planned the major incident practice!!!

Wasn’t that what I tried to do the year before by offering to go and remove the offending thistles myself and asking very nicely.

And lets just back up a tad…did you read about us being offered money for the damage???

NO not a single cent was offered last year or this year, NOT once did either neighbour offer to replace the damaged items.

And last year, I didn’t ask because I was trying NOT to upset either neighbour, I was trying to lead by example, fat lot of good that did. This is our FOOD were talking about, ruined, what do they think I am doing every day out in the paddock/kitchen garden/orchard??

The cost of the damage this year is:
1) Over a $1000’s for 18 newly planted Heritage Trees

2) Another 2 years of fruit production lost, as I will have to wait until Autumn to replace the trees and then wait for the to fruit.

3) We were unwell for 10 days after the spray drift from by the fence line. Vomiting, joint aches, pounding headache and general lethargy.

4) Our animals, especially our dogs were vomiting for 2 days following the spray drift from the fence line episode.

5) Loss of Organic Certification years AGAIN. The year before I was going to apply in the November as it would have been exactly 4 years since we moved in. All wiped out in an instant.

6) Emotional stress has taken the strength out of me. I did feel like it was not worth going on.

MY life, my dream and my passion is here on the block and to see the orchard trees mutating and dying is just heartbreaking.

7) Do you know the worst thing? I know if it had been me that had caused the slightest damage, let alone a substantial $1000+ damage.

The neighbours would have been around here like a tone of bricks…

Don’t have a clue about farming, lifestylers don’t have a clue…oh yes I can hear it. They would have been after my blood, let alone my money for ruining their farm. I would have been run out of Dodge for sure.

I have had to remove nearly all the remaining vegetable in the kitchen garden because they are mutating. I have lsot food and precious seeds. No amount of money can replace these things, supermarket food is just not the same.

I cannot believe they haven’t even had the decency to apologize, offer to pay for the damage….no what do we get…

Vicious rumors spread.
Treated like a meal you want to throw up.
Treated like we are in the wrong, and it was us that had caused damage.
The cold shoulder from all around us.
A notice not to set foot on his land without prior permission.

And do you know what, let them, I don’t want his money, I want him to watch this space…I will be the one with my beautiful piece of paradise in 3-4 years time…will he have his??

No related posts.