The main herbicide for bracken control has not been licensed in the UK for application by handheld or tractor-mounted sprayers.

Asulox is now only approved for use from a helicopter, a method which is not common in NI. The buffer zone from water bodies has also been increased from 50m to 90m for aerial applications.

Since 2013, the Asulam-based herbicide has been available on an emergency licence which is reviewed annually by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Defra. In previous years, the licence required farmers to use or dispose of all stocks of Asulox by the end of October each year.

It is understood that the UK authorities see Amidosulfuron-based products as an alternative to Asulox. This herbicide is mainly used for dock control and is included in products such as Squire Ultra.

The Bracken Control Group (BCG), an industry body that lobbies for Asulox licensing, has raised various concerns about reliance on Amidosulfuron.

These include the herbicide’s impact on non-target species and soil invertebrates, as well as its persistence in the environment.

BCG co-ordinator Simon Thorp described the HSE reaction to its concerns as “a helpful response” and a new application for Asulox emergency licencing was submitted on Tuesday.

“This presents information that was not available previously. How they will receive it? I don’t know,” Thorp told the Irish Farmers Journal.

An ongoing CAFRE study across five sites in NI has found that Asulox is the most effective method of reducing covers of bracken. Amidosulfuron was not included in the work.

Read more

Watch: Asulox remains best bracken treatment

First case of redwater detected in heifer