White Rot

Quite right chriscross. Soil sterilants are the quick fix. If we can avoid using chemicals and replace with cultural techniques it is always better, even if this may mean not growing onions for 10 years. Most soil sterilants are quite nasty chemicals and deprive the soil of beneficial life as well as the baddies like white rot fungus.

Little point arguing about chemicals as there are several items that you can purchase legally but not use legally in the UK. I suspect that several of the chemicals mentioned fall into this catagory. You can buy legally but not use legally, and then there is the case that you can still buy but not use fot applications that you once could.

You say that Armillatox is classed as a "cleaning agent". What is that? A fairy liquid alternative for dishes, or something that you water onto soil to clean it of fungal infections? Both "uses" are "cleaning".

I don't appear to have white rot infection, but expect that at some time I will have. It is spreading. In the mean time I will search for resistant strains of onions and leeks and see what appears. As to garlics they will be grown in pots with compost, unless there is a resistant variety around.

Hopefully more resistant strains will be developed as otherwise the seed and set producers will not have anything to sell to gardeners.

Until then you take your choice of the options open to you.

I totally agree with you Yorkie. This has proved to be an interesting topic and judging by the viewings it has been followed with a lot of interest. I have learnt something from it because I did believe I could use Armillatox on passive ground.
I could not find anything on the internet regarding the total banning in 2007 as suggested by Salmo, so I have emailed the company regarding the present position in Europe.

Just looked at the Armillox UK web site , they state:

Under European legislation the active ingredients of all pesticides have to be reviewed, the cost of raising the data for the review is estimated to be £3 million - to a small company the cost is prohibitive. Therefore as from 25th July 2003, Armillatox has become 'Armillatox Soap Based Outdoor Cleaner' so taking it out of the pesticides regulations - the formulation remains the same. Armillatox is useful as a patio cleaner and for a wide range of other applications, simply phone us for more information on our unique formulation.

So they now state it is a soap based whatever.
Does this put it in the same context as spraying aphids with a mild solution of washing up liquid? (Doubtful) But I wouldn't do that either as I don't see soap on roses etc as natural, and this year the sparrows ate them all.

Apparently still being sold, made in Derbyshire as I recall, so not banned or withdrawn, just a change of description/use, and the change happened back in 2003, some 6 years ago now. Would this mean that it is not included in whatever happened in 2007? Apparently no change in formulation.

The Armillox site says to go to the .com website for further information concerning use in Europe. Well I think it did, didn't take a great deal of note of it all.

The key is the definition of pesticide - which broadly means anything used to protect crops from pests or diseases.

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/garden.asp?id=219

Armillatox have decided not to provide the requisite data and therefore withdrew their product from being classified as a pesticide.  By being taken out of the pesticide regulations, Armillatox (and Jeyes Fluid, they are classified as having the same active ingredient) is no longer on the approved / permitted database and thus its use as a pesticide is now unlawful.